


Falling For You

by LadyDahliaWrites



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDahliaWrites/pseuds/LadyDahliaWrites
Summary: After being recruited to work for the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a ballistics expert, you quickly develop feelings for a certain brown-eyed CSI level III.
Relationships: Nick Stokes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> 7 chapters plus epilogue  
> Total word count: 32,286  
> A/N: This is set sometime in season 12. This was my very first piece of fanfiction, ever. Kind of fitting for it to be a CSI fic; the show played a big role in my life when I was younger. Completed April 2020.

**CHAPTER ONE:**

You had always been drawn to physics. Ever since your high school physics class, you had been captivated by the grace in identifying a trajectory and the beauty in rifling marks. After being recruited straight out of grad school to work for the LA County crime lab, you had quickly risen through the ranks to become one of the best (and youngest) ballistics experts in the country. At the spring ICSIA (International Crime Scene Investigators Association) conference in Nashville you had just wrapped up your presentation on Shooting Reconstruction techniques, when you were approached by DB Russell. He was the new lab director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab and was looking to add to his team. Specifically, he was looking to add you to his team. 

That conversation was in March, now two months later you were walking through the doors of the lab for your first shift. The heat from the day was still lingering, but fortunately dusk had fallen in Vegas. You couldn’t believe that you were officially working for the best crime lab in the country. Barely able to contain your joy; the butterflies (fueled by the coffee you were struggling to drink down) threatened to burst out. Trying to get yourself together, you took a deep breath, smoothed down the front of the purple blouse you were wearing, readjusted the bag on your shoulder, and walked down the hall to DB’s office. 

DB greeted you in almost a fatherly manner, pulling you into a warm handshake. After going over some paperwork, he walked you into the breakroom, and quickly introduced you to the rest of the graveyard team, the lab rats (David and Henry) and the CSIs (Katherine, Nick, Greg, Sara, and Morgan). Trying your hardest to remember that you are a professional and that  _ they  _ recruited you, you did your best to stifle the instinct to gush as you were introduced to each member of the team. You knew of the prestige of the Las Vegas Crime Lab; had read countless journal articles written by each of them on the cases they had closed. 

As DB began handing out case assignments, you couldn’t help but feel eyes on you. Looking up, you noticed a pair of beautiful chocolate brown eyes and the dimpled grin of CSI Nick Stokes gazing at you. You gave him a professional smile and slightly nodded in your head in his direction. 

The shift was off and running before you could blink. Soon, you were elbow-deep in shell casings needing to be analyzed, clothing with powder burns needing to be swabbed and analyzed, and firearms needing to be processed. Unexpectedly Henry came into the lab to ask how your first shift had gone. Glancing up, you were shocked to see that it was time to clock out. 

“So...how did your first day go?” Henry inquired as he walked you down the hall to show you where the lockers were.

“Fast. Good, but fast. I still can’t believe that I’m here, in Vegas.”

As the two of you rounded the corner into the lockers, you were greeted by Greg and Morgan getting ready to head home. Henry said he had a few more things to wrap up in the lab before heading home; he waved to Greg and Morgan and walked back to his lab. 

“Hey y/n! How was your first day?” asked Morgan as she was pulling on her jacket. 

“Amazing!” You laughed, “chaotic, great, tiring. All of the above?” You quickly selected a locker as your own and placed your combo lock on it. Your body felt simultaneously drained and wired, a combination of the exhaustion and excitement of the day. 

Morgan laughed, “yeah, sounds about right! Well we are really glad to have you here. I’ve heard tons of good things about you from the LA lab. We’re lucky to have stolen you from them. I still wonder how Russell was able to do that.” She mused as she grabbed her purse out of her locker; you just smirked and shook your head.

“You wanna grab breakfast with us?” asked Greg, gesturing to Morgan and himself. 

“Yeah, come on. We would love to get to know you more.” Morgan agreed, nodding enthusiastically. 

“Sure, okay.” You nodded, “Yeah, I mean it's not like I have a lot to go home to right now. Just lots of boxes to unpack and a houseplant that I’m pretty sure isn’t going to survive the move.” 

“Great!” Morgan and Greg cheered in unison.

As you all walked by the break room towards the garage, you glanced in to see Katherine and Nick talking at the conference table. They were both laughing; looking at something on Katherine’s phone. You admired the way that Nick’s eyes crinkled as he let out a full-bodied laugh.  _ Oh. That could be trouble.  _ You thought to yourself, as you trailed behind Morgan and Greg.  _ Trouble indeed.  _

The three of you settled into a booth at Frankie’s Diner (a favorite breakfast spot for the graveyard crew, apparently). Greg ordered pancakes while Morgan ordered an omelette; you eventually settled on a scramble with peppers and bacon. Conversation flowed easily. You quickly learned that the graveyard team was more like a family than coworkers. Greg teased Morgan about a recent case that led to her getting stuck upside down in a dumpster while searching for a knife behind a casino. She had to be rescued by the officer who was guarding the scene. Throwing her napkin at him, Morgan retorted by telling a side-splitting story of Greg getting hit on by an 80-year-old call girl outside of the Golden Nugget. Greg simply shrugged and grinned. You shared a story about a wild case involving a sawed-off shotgun and a mechanical bull. The three of you dissolved into a fit of giggles. By the end of breakfast, you felt like you were beginning to become part of the team. 

“Oh hey, y/n put your number in my phone. We should hang out sometime. Plus, us girls have to stick together,” Morgan said, as you walked out to your cars. She handed her phone to you.

“Hey!” yelled Greg, “what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh nothing,” laughed Morgan, mischievously smirking as she tossed her blond hair. 

*****

The first week flew by. Katherine had a gang shooting, involving multiple firearms and hundreds of shell cartridges which took up most of your week. But DB had asked you to check in with him before clocking out for the weekend. So before heading home, you walked down the hall to his office, you ran into Sara on the way. 

“So...you made it through your first week. What do you think? As crazy as the LA lab?” Sara asked, leaning against the glass wall. 

“I did. I survived,” you smirked, “I’m so happy to be here. I loved LA, don’t get me wrong. But this place is incredible. The lab, the people, all of it! I feel like I’m a bright-eyed rookie again, just wondering around all awestruck!” You laughed. 

“Right?! I remember being the same way. There is a certain magic to this place. Look, I gotta run. Chasing a lead on that stabbing case. But, hit me up some time this weekend, let’s grab coffee or drinks or something. I’d love to hear the latest gossip from the LA lab,” Sara replied, gently touching your elbow and gesturing her other hand holding a case file. 

“Sounds great. I’ll text you,” you said, pointing at Sara, as she walked away.

Knocking on DB’s door, you peaked your head into his office. DB looked up from his desk, smiling at you in that endearing way he had.  _ Oh great, _ you thought, glancing at the other occupant of Russell’s office,  _ what is he doing here? Ok, breathe girl. This is only your first week here. Do NOT go getting a crush on your super-hot coworker with that irresistible hint of a southern accent. No. No. No.  _

“Hey DB, you wanted to check in? I can come back later, if this is a bad time?” You asked, leaning away from his office. 

“No, no. Come on in. Nick and I were just wrapping up,” DB replied, gesturing to the man sitting in front of his desk. “Come on in, I want to hear how your first week went.” 

Nick looked up from his case file, giving one of those charming, panty-dropping smirks you had come to associate with the brown-eyed investigator. You smiled back at him. 

You walked into the office, expecting Nick to get up and leave. But he just sat there, dropping his gaze to the casefile in his lap, continuing to flip through it. After a few awkward moments, you realized that he wasn’t going anywhere; you sat down in the other chair in front of DB’s desk. 

“So, the sixty-four thousand dollar question...how’s it goin’? How was your first week?” DB disarmingly asked, leaning back in his chair and grabbing the basketball from the shelf behind his desk and spinning it slowly in his hands. 

“Umm, it was good. Great actually. The team is great! Everyone has been so willing to help me out.” You gushed, leaning forward in your chair. “The lab is perfect, the equipment is state of the art, even more advanced than what I was using in LA.” You scoffed lightly before adding, “I did quickly learn to watch out for David though. I fell prey to one too many of his pranks this week. Luckily, I also figured out that Henry has a terrible poker face, so I’ve figured out to glance at him before doing anything that David tells me to do.” You chuckled softly, beginning to lean back in the chair to a more relaxed posture. 

Both Nick and DB started laughing. “Oh! He’s already started that with you! Man, he must really feel threatened by you!” laughed Nick. His face lit up as he laughed, looking over to you with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Threatened by me? What do you mean?” you asked, surprised, sitting up straight. You glanced over to DB.

“Y/n, come on. He knows who you are. He knows that you are the top ballistics expert in the nation,” replied DB, tilting his head towards you, grinning. 

“Ballistics. Not trace. And, ‘one of’ the best, not ‘the best.’ I’m not a threat to him. I wouldn’t know the first thing about what he does,” you answered, feeling slightly flustered. The way that Nick was looking at you, seemingly enthralled by your shocked reaction, was definitely  _ not  _ helping. 

“He’s got an ego. You’ll put him in his place a few times and he’ll back down. Just hang in there,” DB said encouragingly. 

After a few more back and forths about David’s ego, you filled DB in on a couple of ongoing cases, answering his questions about some of your findings this week. Nick remained in the office throughout the conversation, alternating between flipping through his casefile and glancing at you. Offering the occasional comment or remark. 

“Alright, well great work this week y/n,” DB commented, “We’re lucky you agreed to come join us here.” He nodded. “Now, get out of here and go enjoy your weekend. See you on Monday.” 

You stood, “Thanks DB, have a great weekend.” You glanced at Nick, “you too Nick, have a good weekend, see you on Monday.” 

Nick pushed his chair back, setting the casefile on DB’s desk, “I’ll walk out with you y/n.” 

You nodded and quickly turned, hoping to hide the heat in your cheeks.  _ Come on girl, get it together. This is not the first hot guy you’ve worked with. You are a professional. Get it together. _ You tried (failed) to give herself a quick pep talk. 

Walking down the hall towards the garage, you turned to Nick, “So, big plans for the weekend?” 

“Me? Nah, it’s not football season. I’ll probably just take Sam to the dog park, play some video games, and catch up on some reading. I should probably do some laundry too. You?” he answered, turning towards you. 

“Sam is...your dog?” You asked slowly.

“Yeah, he’s a former police dog, retired last year. I’ll tell you the story some time. He’s a german shepherd who only speaks French!” Nick chuckled, seemingly lost in an old memory for a second, before adding, “he’s great. What about you? Big plans?”

“Oh yeah, super exciting,” you answered sarcastically, “super fun times, unpacking and trying to get settled into my new place.” 

Nick opened the door to the garage, ushering you through, “sounds exhilarating. Well, if you get bored and you want to get your butt kicked on Mario Cart, give me a ring.” He made a phone gesture with his hands, grinning at you. 

“Careful, I might take you up on that!” You laughed as you took a step towards the aisle where your car was parked. “Hey, I meant what I said in Russell’s office. Everyone has been really great. This is a great team.”

“Well, we’re lucky to have you,” Nick answered, putting on a pair of dark aviators. “Have a great weekend!” 

You both waved and headed towards your respective cars. 

_ Okay, y/n just breathe. He’s just being a nice guy. Yeah, that’s it. Just a super sweet, super hot, super southern, nice guy. Ugh….damn. _ You feel yourself already beginning to develop crush.

Nick let out a deep sigh. He was screwed. He knew it. Sara and Katherine had already picked up on it and had been teasing him relentlessly. They knew it. You had taken him by storm with your wicked intellect and unexpected thoughtfulness. And, who was he kidding, you were totally smokin’ hot. Inwardly groaning, he tore his eyes away from your retreating figure and walked to his truck. Taking another deep breath, Nick shook his head. Yep, he was screwed. 

*****

The weekend was just as thrilling as you expected it to be. You spent most of Saturday, unpacking and trying to make your new place feel like home. Between trips to Home Depot and Target, you felt like you had driven all over Vegas. But you had to admit, it was starting to come together. 

Sunday was spent researching local CrossFit gyms, going grocery shopping, doing laundry, and texting memes back and forth with Morgan. After sending a message to the owner of a gym that had tons of great reviews (and was close to your house), you settled on to your new couch to take a nap. Your body was still not completely used to the nocturnal hours of the graveyard shift; it was proving somewhat challenging to go to bed as the sun was coming up and wake up as it was going down. With your history of depression, you knew that you were going to have to come up with some way to ensure you would be able to see the sun on a regular basis with your new schedule. As you drifted to sleep, your thoughts floated to a certain brown-eyed CSI with adorable dimples. 

*****

Back in the lab on Monday, you were just putting on your lab coat when Nick walked into your lab. 

“Good weekend?” He asked, coming around to the opposite of your workbench and leaning his hip against it. 

“Busy. But I think I’m mostly unpacked now, which feels really good.” You breathed out, reaching your hand in your pocket to pull out your headphones and phone. 

“That’s good. Hey, you know if you ever need any help, let me know. I can be pretty handy.” 

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” You answered, adding a flirtatious tone to your voice. You may have imagined it, but was that a blush on Nick’s cheeks? 

“Do.” He nodded, clearing his throat. “I gotta get out there, I caught that home invasion over in Henderson.” 

“Have fun,” you responded, waving as he stepped out of your lab. 

Turning back to your workbench and switching on your computer, you didn’t see Morgan slide into your lab. You were just putting in your headphones when...

“That looked interesting.”

“AH!” You jumped at the voice, turning towards her. “Oh, my god Morgan you scared the crap out of me! How long have you been standing there?” You put your hand on your chest. “What looked interesting?” You tried to get your breathing to return to normal. 

She laughed, “sorry! You and Nick. That looked interesting.” She arched an eyebrow. Gesturing her thumb over her shoulder, towards the hallway. 

“Oh, he was just asking about my weekend and offered to help, if I needed any with all my unpacking.” You answer quickly, turning back to your computer. 

“Hm. Okay,” she responded, nodding; not sounding convinced. She paused a beat and then, “Let’s try and grab lunch today? I picked up a hit and run, so I should be back in the lab at a decent time.” 

“Sounds good, I’ll text you,” you answered over your shoulder, already starting to pull evidence bags from the locked vault in your lab. You tried to focus on work and not the way that your stomach flipped at even the most innocent of exchanges between you and Nick.


	2. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO:**

Over the next month, you fell into a routine. You were able to figure out your sleep schedule; you found a great CrossFit gym with incredible coaches, and you were able to fall into a regular workout routine again (working out before your shift so you could see the sun). The graveyard shift was 9pm to 6am, Monday night through Friday night, which took some getting used to. In LA you had been working days, so your body was still working on adapting. The team had truly started to feel like a family. Regular lunches with Morgan, drinks with Sara and Greg, and the occasional breakfast with Katherine and Russell. You had even gone to a movie with Henry...only because David had backed out at the last minute. Overall things felt like they were beginning to come together. 

Things between you and Nick continued to be  _ interesting _ . He seemed to linger by your lab when he was getting results from you and delay leaving the team ‘family’ meetings to walk you to your lab. Neither of you had moved beyond flirtatious banter, but you couldn’t deny the tension. Morgan and Sara had separately told you that he was interested in you, but you had just brushed them off. As you, Greg, Katherine, and Morgan were at breakfast one morning, Greg had decided to nudge you just a little. The four of you had been discussing Greg’s recent assault case (that he had been working with Nick) involving a dancer, when Greg smirked at you saying “...and then this beautiful brunette just walked over and handed Nick her number, but of course he just politely declined. You know, in that way that he has, ‘no thank you ma’am, I don’t think that would be a good idea,’” he tried to mimic Nick’s southern drawl, doing terribly. 

Morgan started chuckling as Katherine gave you a sideways smirk. 

“Okay, what?” You asked, “something on my face?”

“Really y/n? Come on, you have to know that he is head over heels for you,” Greg answered. 

“Oh please,” you replied, rolling your eyes, “he is just a southern gentleman who is being polite. I am so not his type, not to mention there are these two,” gesturing to Katherine and Morgan, “and Sara. I mean, please. Come on.” 

Katherine choked in reaction, “yeah no. Nicky is like my brother. He’s adorable and I love him, but kind of the way you love a sibling...or a dog.” Greg snorted, while Morgan turned her attention to you. 

“You really don’t see it, do you?” Morgan asked, suddenly serious, “he looks at you like a puppy, like all the time.” She glanced at the others, who nodded their agreement. 

“Stop, you guys. Come on. He is just being nice to the new girl. That’s all,” you managed to mutter, as you moved your hash browns around on your plate. Hoping for a subject change, you looked up and added “By the way, what is up with David recently? I feel like he’s been more weird than usual.” 

Katherine gave you a slight chuckle but said “I’ve been wondering that myself. He’s been particularly squirrelly recently.” You gave her a grateful smile. The truth was, you were ridiculous attracted to Nick – you just tried not to let your crush show.

The day after your uncomfortable breakfast conversation, you were just packing up a bag of shell casings that you had finished processing when Nick walked into your lab. Looking up, you noticed that he had a slight bruise starting to form on one cheek and a small cut along his left eye. 

“Oh shit! What happened? Are you alright?” You gasped, coming around your workbench towards him, stopping an arm’s length away, reaching your hand out towards his face. 

He chuckled, “yeah...you should see the other guy.” He grinned at you, casually leaning his hand on the workbench, leaning your direction. 

“Well I hope you won.” You both laughed, dropping your hand to your side. 

“Suspect jumped the table in interview, luckily Brass was quicker.” He ran his hand gently over the bruise. Then, almost nervously, he scratched at the back of his neck as he glanced back towards the door of your lab. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” you answered, shaking your head. You moved back to continue packing up the shell casings. “What’s up? I don’t think I have any of your cases on deck right now, do I?” 

“No, my case is an assault. No firearms,” he answered, again running his hand over the back of his neck. “I...uh….I….” he started, shuffling his feet slightly. 

You glanced over at him, giving him a reassuring smile. While your outsides may have appeared calm, your insides could feel the tension skyrocket in the confined space of your lab.  _ What is happening? Oh my god, is he nervous right now?  _ Your thoughts raced, along with the butterflies that abruptly erupted in your stomach. With each breath you took, you could feel the tension escalate. 

“I...um...you got any plans this weekend?” He was finally able to rush out.  _ Is he blushing? Since when does Nick get nervous or weird around me? _

“Uh, nothing big. I was kinda thinking about catching an extra yoga class on Sunday. I’m pretty sore this week. And uh...Sara and I had talked about seeing that new movie, you know the one with Chris Evans, but we haven’t set the exact time yet. You?” God, the tension was almost palpable now. You tried to stop any tremble from reaching your hands, as you went back to packaging up the shell casings.

“Oh fun, that sounds fun,” he breathed out. “Me? I...oh….yeah same. Nothing big. Uh…...would you wanna maybe... I don’t know…..wanna grab drinks or something sometime?” Nick stuttered, his eyes meeting yours hesitantly. 

You could feel the heat race through your body, you prayed that he wasn’t able to see the fire beneath your skin. “Sure...sure, yeah, I would love to,” you answered, smiling and nodding to him. You paused a beat, to look at him. He actually looked...relieved? 

Nervously chuckling, he breathed out “yeah? Cool, great, yeah….I’ll text you.” He looked down, smiling to himself. Then looked back up at you, giving you one of those charming Nick Stokes grins, as he was opening his mouth to say something -

Suddenly the nervous energy between you two was broken by a shout, “Yo, Nicky! Come on loverboy, you got more witnesses in the lobby to interview. Get to it!” DB yelled down the hall. 

Moving towards the door, Nick looked back at you, “I’ll catch you after shift and walk you out?” 

“Sounds wonderful.” 

You grinned at each other, as he took off jogging towards the lobby full of his witnesses. Immediately you pulled out your phone, opening your text conversation with Morgan. 

**You: OMG! OMG! Nick just asked me out for drinks this weekend!**

**Morgan: YES!! It’s about time! Took him long enough...congrats girl**

**You: lol He wants to walk out with me after shift today**

**Morgan: ooh girl! Ok you better call me tomorrow. I WANT DETAILS**

**You: Of course. Luv ya**

**Morgan: mwa**

You were barely able to concentrate for the rest of your shift. You tuned out part way through Henry explaining how the trace you had pulled from a magazine was actually DNA, so it had been kicked to him. And again, when Sara was asking you to run trajectory simulations with her. The end of your shift could not come fast enough. 

Finally, you saved the trajectory simulation you had been working on and emailed it to Sara (with a note apologizing for being so distracted earlier). Standing up, you removed your earbuds, and took off your lab coat. A noise from the door of your lab drew your attention. Nick was standing in the doorway, watching you. 

“Uh, hi, how long have you been there?” You asked, gasping slightly. You hung up your lab coat and started walking towards him. 

“Not long, just came to see if you were finished.” 

“Yep, just wrapped up. You have good timing,” you flirted. 

The two of you started walking towards the lockers. You weren’t sure what had changed, but the boiling tension that had been present earlier was gone. There actually seemed to be calm between you now. Unsure if you should say something or not, you glanced at Nick, just as he was leaning towards you to speak. 

“Feels a little different, don’t it?” He half-whispered. 

“This?” You asked, gesturing between the two of you. He nodded. “Yeah,” you breathed out. He smiled and bumped his shoulder gently against yours. 

Wordlessly, you grabbed your sweater and purse from your locker as Nick slid on his denim jacket. It felt so effortless to fall into step next to him, walking out of the locker room. 

“I’ve worked graveyard for a long time now, and it's just kinda weird to go out drinking right after work, it is like 6 or 7 in the morning after all.” He laughed. “I’ve got this buddy who owns a bar close to my house, who sometimes lets me stop in after shift. I texted him earlier and he's willing to let us in early, if you are interested?” Nick watched you closely, as the two of you continued to make your way to the garage. 

“Like now?” You asked, glancing down at your work outfit. While it was cute, you weren’t sure it was what you wanted to be wearing for your first date with Nick. 

He seemed to understand what you were thinking, as he looked you up and down, chuckling to himself, “you look amazing, but if you want to change, we can go later, if you want. How ‘bout this, go home, change, and I’ll come pick you up in an hour?” 

Deciding to go for it, you answered “That sounds better. Believe me, I did not want to be wearing this for my first date with Nick Stokes.” You sent him a wink, as you opened the door to the garage, not missing the way his lips twitched up in a grin. “I’ll text you my address.” 

“Yes ma’am. See you soon sweetheart” He winked as he started walking to his truck. Once again, he found himself glance back to watch you walk away, admiring your backside in an entirely ungentlemanly way. He shook his head and chuckling; his mama would have smacked him if she had seen the way his eyes traced your body.

*****

**You: We’re going out to drinks now, he’s going to pick me up**

**Morgan: At 7am?**

**You: I guess he has a friend who owns a bar. I mean, technically it is the end of our day**

**Morgan: He just didn’t want to wait any longer to get his hands on that hot ass of yours**

**You: omg, Morgan! Lol**

**Morgan: its true ; )**

**You: you are the worst, but thats why I love you**

**Morgan: text me when you get home, I still want details**

**You: deal, mwa**

**Morgan: mwa**

*****

**Nick: I’m on my way over, should be there in 10**

**You: perfect! See you soon**

Sure enough, 9 minutes later your front doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath, in an attempt to calm your nerves, you opened the door. As soon as you did, your brain malfunctioned. Simply froze. There was Nick, dressed in dark jeans, a black button down, and aviators holding a bouquet of small sunflowers. As he lowered his sunglasses, you could see his eyes take you in. You knew you looked good, but damn, watching his eyes explore your body did things to you. You were wearing low ankle boots, black skinny jeans, and a red flowy tank top with a sweetheart neckline highlighting your cleavage. You had pulled your hair into a high ponytail and threw on some pink lipstick. 

Nick cleared his throat, breaking the trance that had taken over both of you. “Um, wow. You look incredible.” 

“Thanks, you don’t clean up too bad yourself there handsome,” you answered, as you blatantly looked him up and down. You winked as you met his eyes again. 

“Oh, here. These are for you. Morgan mentioned that sunflowers were your favorite,” he said, holding out the bouquet to you. 

“You are too sweet! Thank you. Let me just run and put these in some water. Do you want to come in for a minute?” You asked, as you took the flowers into the kitchen. Nick followed you, closing the door behind him. As you were cutting the stems off, you glanced up to see him looking over the pictures you had sitting on a shelf. You smiled to yourself. You placed the flowers in a vase and set them on the table. 

“Okay, let me grab my jacket, and I’m ready to go,” you said, picking up your leather biker jacket and purse from the back of the couch. 

The drive to the bar was more comfortable than you thought it would be. Conversation flowed naturally between you. Occasionally Nick would point out a good restaurant or a piece of Vegas history, as he drove. Soon, you were pulling up to a tavern that looked more hole-in-the-wall than tourist destination. 

“Stay put,” Nick said gently as he hopped out of the driver's seat. He walked over, opened your door for you, and raised his arm to support you hopping out of his slightly lifted truck. Caught up in the butterflies in your stomach and just how good he looked in those aviators, your foot missed the running board and you lurched forward. Luckily, Nick caught you before your head hit the door frame or window. Slowly he lowered you to the ground, trapped between his truck, the door, and his body; his hands tight on your waist. 

For a brief moment, you just stared at each other. You hoped he couldn’t hear (or feel) your heart pounding against your rib cage. 

“I guess I fell for you,” you laughed nervously, standing up straight. Nick laughed, rolling his eyes bashfully. 

“Come on, let’s get you inside before you take another tumble,” he teased as he held your hand, closing the truck door with the other. Continuing to hold your hand, he led you inside the tavern. 

You were met with a scene that you were not expecting. The inside of the tavern was walled with wood planks that had a warm barnwood feel to them. One whole side was dominated by a beautiful live-edge bar, that looked to be from one solid tree. Black leather booths lined two sides, with a smattering of tables and chairs around the edge of a sawdust-covered dance floor. The walls were decorated with cow skulls and classic pictures of John Wayne. The soft sounds of an old Garth Brooks song floated through the air. 

Nick led you over to the corner booth, taking your jacket as you slid in. After hanging your jacket on a nearby coat rack, he slid in next to you; thigh to thigh, casually throwing an arm over the back of the booth behind you. Before you could come up with a teasing remark about him being so close, a man walked up to the table. 

“Hiya Nicky, it's good to see you,” he clapped Nick on the back of the shoulder and gestured to you. “And this must be the gal you haven’t stopped talking about,” turning to you, the man continued, “hi darlin’, I’m Mike. Nice to make your acquaintance. I’m the owner of this oasis in the desert, if you need anythin’ just holler.” He tipped his cowboy hat and kissed the back of your hand as you told him your name, and turned back to Nick, “Well, Texan you want the usual or…?” 

“Thanks for allowing us to stop by, Mike. Sure I’ll take a beer.” Looking over to you, he asked “What ‘bout you, y/n?”

“Whiskey, neat please,” you answered, not missing the look that Mike and Nick shared about your order. 

“Sure thing darlin’, comin’ right up,” Mike drawled and moved towards the bar. 

“You are a wonder,” Nick mused, as he turned to you, taking in the way the low bar lighting danced across your face. 

Once again, conversation flowed effortlessly. You found yourself opening up to Nick more than you would usually open up to someone on a first date. There was just something about him, something so genuine, so honest. You couldn’t help but feel safe with him. 

You learned that he was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and that his dad was a judge, his mom an attorney. He talked animatedly about his siblings (being the youngest of 7, he had lots of hilarious stories). As you had guessed, he played football growing up. He was surprised to learn that you were 12 years younger than him; you were born and raised in Portland, OR with one brother. He had been so sure that you had to have grown up with tons of brothers. The two of you talked about how you got into the field of forensics, your college experience (Nick was in a fraternity; you were a student athlete).

After a few more drinks, he had sweetly asked you to dance. Just the two of you swaying alone on the empty dance floor had almost lulled you into a trance. With his firm hand on your lower back, you leaned in and rested your head on his chest.  _ Of course he smells amazing, _ your alcohol-riddled brain provided helpfully. You don’t even know how much time had passed, when your phone started to vibrate in your back pocket: Morgan’s name and picture popping up. Not answering, you softly excused yourself and made your way back to the table to text her.

**You: Hey, whats up? Still out with Nick**

**Morgan: Really? Wow, do you know what time it is?**

**You: no, not really. Haven’t really been focused on the time, why?**

**Morgan: its almost noon, have you guys been at the bar this whole time?**

**You: oh shit, so late. And yes, we;ve been drinking and talking. He is so incredible**

**Morgan: lol yeah, yeah, yeah. Please get some sleep, i am NOT going to yoga by myself tomorrow**

**You: I promise I will be there**

**Morgan: remember to wrap it before you tap it, drink some gatorade, and take some tylenol**

**You: O.M.G. ok mom**

**Morgan: I love you ;)**

**You: love you too**

“Everything alright?” Nick asked as you slid your phone into your purse. He slid into the booth next to you.

“Yeah, just Morgan checking up on me. Did you know it was almost noon?” You jokingly asked him. 

“Well, all be. Damn. I should probably get you home. We don’t want Morgan worrying about you bein’ out all night...or day….whatever,” Nick drawled, the slight hint of his accent coming out stronger. Giving your arm a gentle squeeze, he got up and walked over to where Mike was doing paperwork. As you turned your attention back to your phone, you noticed Nick’s phone light up across the table. You hadn’t meant to invade his privacy, you can just read upside down really fast without putting any effort into it. 

**Morgan: heard your date is going well. I’m so happy for you guys! But in all seriousness, if you break her heart, I will hunt you down. Make good choices kids ;)**

You laughed so unexpectedly that you snorted. Quickly trying to cover, you coughed lightly. Nick came back over to the table, placing his hand on your shoulder. You could feel the comforting warmth of his hand, spread through your body. 

“You good?” He asked.

“Yeah, totally,” You nodded, “I think your phone lit up.” 

He picked up his phone, glanced at the message, chuckled and slid the phone in his pocket. “Morgan,” he chuckled. As he handed your jacket to you, his hand lingered on yours. You smiled and locked eyes with him. For a moment, you just stared into each other’s eyes. The corners of his eyes crinkled as his lips rose in a grin. 

“Is it too soon?”

You weren’t sure what he meant, you looked at him confused. 

“To kiss you. Is it too soon?” He practically whispered. 

“I don’t think so. I mean, maybe, but I would like that,” you answered faintly.

Softly, he brought his lips to your cheek. Humming slightly, he placed a gentle kiss on each cheek and on your forehead. 

As he drove you back to your place, the long day started catching up with you. You tried to stifle a yawn with the back of your hand, but it was no use. He laughed and told you that he would have you home soon. He reached his right hand out to capture your left hand, as he drove. You delightedly intertwined your fingers with his. 

As he pulled into your driveway and parked, he didn’t let go of your hand. Turning towards you in his seat, he pulled off his aviators and said “I really enjoyed today. And, I’d like to go out again. If that’s alright with you?” 

“Yes! I would love that!” You answered, probably too quickly. Trying to recover, you added “yeah, today was incredible. I’d like to do this again.” 

Nick squeezed your hand, and hopped out of the truck, walking to your side and opening your door. Luckily, this time your foot found the running board and you didn’t fall. You noticed that Nick still placed one hand on your waist, just in case. You held his hand as he walked you to your front door. 

Standing on your front porch, you were so torn. You so didn’t want the date to end but you were about to pass out from exhaustion. Nick must have sensed your dilemma, because he pulled you into an embrace, running a hand along your back. 

“I know, sweetheart, I know. Me too,” He whispered. “I’ll text you later tonight, which will be after you wake up, so I’ll text you tomorrow? Man, you would think I’d be better at this after working graveyard for so long.” He laughed softly, with his head still leaned into yours. “Can I kiss you goodnight?” He whispered into your hair.

With your head still tucked into his chest, you nodded. He brought one hand up to gently tilt up your chin. Looking into his chocolate brown eyes, all you saw was adoration. He slowly brought his lips to yours. You gasped into the kiss, surprised by the nearly-electrical reaction you experienced. You felt him grin against your lips. Kissing you once, twice more, he straightened up and held you out in front of him. 

“Goodnight, sweet dreams sweetheart,” he tipped his head as he squeezed your upper arms gently. 

“Goodnight cowboy, sleep tight,” you answered as he started to walk back to his truck. 


	3. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER THREE:**

Two and a half weeks later, the entire graveyard shift had been swamped by a rash of armed home invasions in a North Las Vegas neighborhood. The team was pulling doubles regularly, trying to catch the suspects. Naturally, the media had picked up the story and had sensationalized it to the point where the Sheriff was putting immense pressure on DB to solve this case fast. Atmosphere in the lab was tense. 

You had your nose down a scope and were trying to identify a rifling pattern, when your phone buzzed in your lab coat pocket. Leaning away from the scope, you pulled your phone from your pocket. 

**Nick: Hey sweetheart**

**You: Hey cowboy ;)**

**Nick: this case is crazy, I miss you**

**You: I know, i feel like I haven’t slept in weeks. I miss you too**

**Nick: if we wrap it by this weekend, wanna go to lake Mead with me and Sam?**

**You: YES!**

**Nick: lol ok, sounds like a plan**

With a renewed sense of energy, you returned to the microscope, crossing your fingers that this case would be closed soon. 

Two days later, you and Nick got your wish. Katherine had collected a piece of torn cloth from the scene of the most recent break-in, which had been kicked to Henry for processing. The DNA hit in the system, and Lt. Brass had been able to track down the suspect, which led to the capture of the entire robbery crew. 

“Great work everybody! Really. This was a tough case, with a lot of pressure from the public and the Sheriff’s office. But you did your jobs and solved the case. Great work everybody,” Russell said to the team. He had sent out a ‘family meeting’ text, which had the whole team packed around the conference table in the break room. Even Doc Robbins and Dave were there. “The city can sleep easier tonight, because of your work. I’m so proud of you all,” he said, glancing around the room, making eye contact with each team member. 

“Here’s to no more doubles for a while,” cheered Katherine, raising her coffee cup in a toast. 

A chorus of “amen” and “thank god” went around the room. 

“Okay, now all of you go home. I don’t want to see any of you until Monday. Go on, get out of here,” DB good-naturedly ordered, gesturing towards the door. 

You stood up, arching your back, stretching. Nick caught your eye and walked over. “Great work on this one,” he said.

“Thanks, you too. The team really came together on this one, didn’t they?” You replied, picking up your bag from the table. The two of you easily fell into step, walking towards the garage.

“So, looks like Lake Mead is in our future for this weekend?” Nick asked, the hope evident in his voice. 

“Absolutely! But tomorrow. I  _ need _ to get some sleep,” you dramatically responded, slightly dragging your feet for emphasis. 

Nick chuckled at your antics, “yeah, probably a good idea. I’m thinking we could go out Saturday afternoon? Wake up early, well for us early, and then hit the lake around 4. What do ya think?” 

“Perfect. Just text me what I need to bring, wear, and when you’re picking me up,” you answered, yawning as you pushed through the door and headed towards your car. 

“Hey there, hold up now,” Nick suddenly said with a slight laugh, reaching for your arm, “forgetting something?” 

“Huh?” 

Suddenly, he was pulling you back around to face him and leaning in to kiss you. “Hmm, I knew I was forgetting something,” you whispered against his lips. He chuckled.

“Get some sleep sweetheart,” he said as he released you and watched you walk towards your car, admiring the way your slacks stretched across your ass.

“You too, see you soon,” you said over your shoulder. 

*****

How Nick had ever found this spot was a miracle to you. He had somehow managed to find the most perfect spot along the Lake Mead shore, secluded from the marinas that dotted the edge, with a few trees, plenty of desert grass, and small gravel leading up to the water. It was paradise. As you played with Sam, watching him run up and down the shore, down to the water, and back to you, Nick pulled out a couple of blankets from his truck. He laid them out a few yards from the water, but still on the desert grass. Sam took an immediate interest and went to investigate. “Laisse le,” Nick commanded. Sam abruptly looked up at Nick, and walked away from the blankets, back towards the water. 

Impressed, you glanced over at Nick, just in time to see him stretch into the back of the truck and pull out a small cooler. You let your eyes wander the lines of his back, the muscles clear even through his white t-shirt; down over the dark blue swim trunks he wore, and over the tanned, toned curves of his legs. Taking a deep breath, you sighed contentedly. The breeze ruffled his brown hair, as he looked over at you. He grinned when you locked eyes. Sending you a wink, he closed the truck door and walked over to where you were standing over the blankets. 

“So, frisbee, swimming, or beers first?” He playfully asked you, setting down the cooler and gazing out over the lake. You followed his gaze, looking out over the beautiful blue sky, the tan colors of the hills, and the aqua-blue-green of the water. 

“Hmm….” you pretended to think for a second, bringing your finger to your lips. “Tough choice, but I think swimming then beers.” As soon as you finished, you started racing to pull off the swimsuit coverup you wore over your black bikini. Once you were free, you took off running towards the water, giggling. With a glance back, you saw Nick frantically trying to pull his shirt over his head. 

With a splash, you dove into the cool water. Just as your head broke the surface to pull in a breath, you heard a second splash followed quickly by a bark and a series of splashes. You looked over to see Nick surfacing and Sam gleefully swimming his way over to you. 

“Ha! Beat you!” You yelled triumphantly. Gently treading water. 

“Yeah, well you had an unfair advantage. I was…. _ distracted _ ,” Nick playfully flirted, “I mean, have you seen your ass in that thing? So not fair.” He softly groaned. Jokingly holding a hand over his heart. 

The two of you playfully swam for the next 45 minutes, just enjoying the sun, water, and each other.

He swam over to you, treading water next you, as Sam paddled in laps. All of a sudden, Nick wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close to his body. You could feel the warmth of his chest. Chest to chest now, you stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, before you leaned in and gently brought your lips to his. His grip on your hip tightened as his tongue swiped across your lips, softly asking for entrance. Sighing, you opened yourself to him, practically moaning as the kiss deepened. He answered with a gentle growl. Each kiss with Nick had been like this, an electric experience that your body wasn’t quite sure how to handle. Goosebumps erupted across your skin, even under the heat of the Nevada sun. Your skin tingled as though a current had been sent through your body. You brought a hand up to tangle in the hair along the back of his neck, treading water with the other, Suddenly you remembered where you were - floating in Lake Mead. Reluctantly, you broke away from the kiss. 

You didn’t miss the disappointed whimper that escaped his lips as you pulled back to look him in the eyes.

“We should probably go back to the shore,” you whispered, voice already wrecked with want. 

“Yeah, okay….” Nick whispered back, nodding slightly. 

Hesitantly, you both pulled apart from each other and started to swim towards the shore. Over your shoulder, you could hear Nick call out to Sam, “venez ici.” The german shepherd gracefully paddled to the shore, shaking himself off vigorously once he walked ashore and settling down beside the blanket. 

Finding your footing, you started to wade back to the shoreline. You were not prepared for the sight that met you, as you turned back to glance at Nick. He was just standing up, his upper body rising out of the water, as he started wading towards you. Your mouth may have actually dropped open, but you would deny it if anybody asked. Rivulets of water snaked down his well-defined chest and over his soft stomach, sliding into the band of his shorts.  _ Gnngh _ , was the only thought your brain offered, as you saw how low on his hips those shorts were riding. Pulling your gaze up his body, you noticed how the sun glistened over his shoulders, highlighting the strength in the muscles of his upper body. He shook his head and peered over at you, a growing smirk evident in the upturn of his lips. Those adorable dimples melting you once again. 

Little did you know that as you were struggling to process the sight of him, Nick was equally paralyzed, his brain frozen as he took in your form. He had not been ready for the view that met him as he stood up out of the water. You had just turned back towards the shore and started walking out of the water. His eyes had naturally been drawn to your backside, following droplets as they traced the curve of your ass, sliding down your toned legs. Your curves barely concealed by your black bikini bottom, which had slightly ridden up during your swim back to the shore. It made him want to run his hands along that curve and sink his teeth into the ample flesh. Nick was pretty sure he stopped breathing as you turned towards him. Your y/h/c swung over your shoulder, momentarily distracting him from the way the water was trickling down your collarbone and sliding between your breasts. The black fabric of your bikini top stretched over your chest in a way that made Nick dizzy. Shaking his head once more, he tried to regain control of his thoughts. 

“I think I’ll take you up on that beer now,” you said breathlessly, once Nick joined you by the blanket. You handed him a towel and watched as he ran it over his head and over his chest. 

“Yeah, good idea,” Nick responded, tossing the towel on to the tailgate of his truck. He picked up his shirt, sliding it on as he walked over to the cooler. You slid on your coverup and sat down on the blanket. Slipping on your sunglasses, you reached out for the beer that Nick was handing you. 

“Hm, thanks,” you murmured. You watched as Nick twisted the top off of his beer and sat down beside you. You twisted the top off of your beer and held it out in a toast. “Here’s to closing cases, beautiful days, and wonderful company.” 

Nick laughed as he clinked his beer bottle against yours and took a swig. “And here’s to gorgeous company and new beginnings,” he toasted. You clinked your beer against his, giggling before taking a long drink. 

The two of you sat talking and drinking beer for the next few hours, eventually ending up laying flat on your back with your head on Nick’s waist, perpendicular to him. Both of you staring up at the sky, sharing secrets, laughing, and deepening the bond that was growing between you. Nick shared how he had moved to Vegas to become his own man and distinguish himself from his father. You shared how, before meeting Nick, you had been afraid to open up to anyone again after your last relationship had left a deep scar.

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, you felt your phone buzz on the blanket beside your leg. You reached down and grabbed it. 

**Sara: hey you, Morgan said I shouldn’t but I couldn’t help it...how was the lake? ;)**

**You: lol you two! Its amazing...he’s amazing - and so freaking hot!**

**Sara: gross, he’s like a brother...come on now lol**

**You: you asked ;)**

**Sara: yea yea, well Morgan has been blowing up my phone all day, so you better make it to yoga tomorrow and fill us in**

**You: deal**

**Sara: oh and Morgan says ‘remember to wrap it up’ lol**

**You: OMG! Bye, talk to you tomorrow**

**Sara: LOL luv ya**

**You: mwa**

Nick must have seen the look on your face as you tossed your phone back to the blanket. “What’s up?”

“Oh nothing, just Sara and Morgan being Sara and Morgan,” you laughed in response, rolling your eyes. “Morgan is waay too interested in my safe sex practices.” 

“Yeah, and who are you having this safe sex with?” Nick flirtatiously inquired, sitting up alongside you. 

“Oh….no….I didn’t mean….no, no one….,” you stuttered in response to the grin you watched grow on his face. While heat flooded your face and chest. 

Nick raised his eyebrows, “oh? Well darn, that’s too bad.” You turned to look him in the eyes. He winked and reached for your hand, intertwining your fingers. You leaned in and kissed him. Before either of you could even think about deepening the kiss, Sam softly growled an alert. 

Quickly pulling away from you, Nick looked over at Sam, and followed his gaze up the embankment to where a jeep full of people had pulled up. Keeping you close, Nick uttered “bon garçon” towards Sam. Leaning into you he whispered, “I’m starving, wanna grab dinner?”

“Sure,” you whispered back, kissing him softly on the nose. 

Driving through the outskirts of Henderson the sun had finally dropped behind the hills. Nick hadn’t let go of your hand throughout the entire drive, occasionally bringing it to his lips to leave a soft kiss along your knuckles. As you were enjoying the gentle country music playing on the radio, the feel of Nick’s hand in yours, and the overall comfort of the moment you suddenly remembered that you were only wearing a bikini and a coverup. 

“Wait! I can’t go to dinner dressed like this!” You gasped, sitting up straight and looking over at Nick. 

Letting out a full-bodied laugh, Nick threw his head back laughing. Once he was able to calm himself, he answered “Easy there sweetheart, we ain’t goin’ to any restaurant. I was thinking I could cook dinner for you at my place.” He glanced over at you, “that is, if you’re okay with that?” 

It was your turn to laugh, “yea, I am so okay with that. Drive on cowboy.” 

Sam let out a whine as Nick pulled the truck into his driveway. “Home sweet home, huh boy?” He turned to you, “hold on a sec.” He hopped out of the truck and opened the back door to let Sam out, who took off jogging into the yard, and walked around to open your door. 

“Such a gentleman,” you said as Nick helped you hop down. You grabbed your bag, the towels, and the blankets, as Nick grabbed the cooler and closed up the truck. He led the way up the walkway to the front door. Unlocking it, he whistled over his shoulder and hollered “entre.” Sure enough, Sam came jogging up, following you into the house. 

The front door opened into an open floor living room, kitchen, dining room. You saw a hallway leading from the dining room, and two doors off the kitchen. Curtains were drawn closed across large windows that dominated the living room and kitchen. The living room looked totally inviting with a large dark beige couch, coffee table, and giant TV. On a nearby shelf, you could see his collection of video games and gaming systems. The kitchen was large with a standing island/bar separating it from the dining room area. The walls were decorated with pictures, bookshelves packed with books, and shadowboxed autographed jerseys. Overall, it felt very - Nick. It suited him. 

He set the cooler down on the island and started pulling the remaining beers out to put in the fridge. Glancing over at you, his heart melted. You were in  _ his  _ home, taking in all the pieces of his life, and you just….fit. So perfectly, like you were always supposed to be standing in his living room. He caught a shiver run through your body suddenly. 

“You must be gettin’ cold in that. The desert is hot during the day, but man, when that sun goes down, whew, it can get frigid. There’s a bathroom down the hall, first door on the left. If you want to go change.” He gestured down the hallway. 

“Yes please,” you shivered, “thank you.” 

A few minutes later you came out, dressed in black leggings, a yoga bra (still offered support but didn’t lock things down as much as your running bras did), and a light blue sheer sweater. Nick was just emerging from a room down the hall, you guessed to be his bedroom. He had also changed and was now wearing grey sweats with a faded Texas A&M logo along one leg and faded dark blue LVPD t-shirt. It was the perfect mix of comfy and hot, making him that much more tempting. 

He let out a whistle as he moved in to pull you into a strong embrace. “Damn, sweetheart. How is it possible that you look so hot in everythin’ you put on?” He asked, leaning in to kiss you. You hummed into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, as his hands slid along your back. He broke the kiss, leaning back with you still in his arms, to look at you. 

You whimpered playfully, “no...don’t let go, I’m still cold.” You chased his warmth, trying to burrow back into his chest. 

Nick chuckled saying “well that’s no good, I’m sure I can find somethin’ for you to wear.” With that he led you back into his bedroom, gesturing for you to sit on the edge of his bed. As he rifled through a drawer in the dresser, you looked around the room. 

Again, it felt very - Nick. A queen-sized bed dominated the space, with solid navy blue sheets and a dark blue comforter. One wall had the dresser that he was currently searching through. Two doors led to, what you assumed to be a bathroom and a closet. The walls were less adorned in this room, the walls painted a soothing shade of dark tan. The single picture in the room sat on top of the dresser. It was a picture of the team at a restaurant. On one nightstand stood a single lamp and a couple of books. 

“Ah ha, found it!” he said triumphantly. He held out a faded maroon Texas A&M crewneck sweatshirt to you. 

“Hmm, thank you!” You quickly slid it on, breathing in the combination of his detergent and his soap/cologne. It was the perfect level of worn, the fabric soft against your skin. “Perfect, much warmer. Thank you, cowboy.” You sat up and kissed him. 

Standing back up, Nick asked “now, how about some dinner?” Kissing you once more on the nose.

An hour later, you were pleasantly full and sitting on the couch, curled into Nick’s side. He had once again impressed you, cooking delicious burgers and a tasty salad. After the two of you had cleaned up and done the dishes (amid his constant comments about how you were his guest and you shouldn’t be cleaning up), you were now curled up together on the couch watching an old episode of Brooklyn 99. 

Nick was struggling to stay focused on the episode with you curled in so tightly next to him. Your head on his chest and one arm over his stomach. His knees had almost buckled earlier, as you put on his old college sweatshirt. He had not been ready for how you would look wearing his clothes. All he knew was that he wanted to see you wear his clothes more often...or he wanted to see you in less clothes...maybe just one of his shirts? Yeah, that’s it, wearing nothing but one of his shirts. Oh man, he was a goner. You giggled at something on the show. Oh shit, he thought, I am so not paying attention. He leaned down to kiss the top of your head, pulling you impossibly closer with his right arm, which was slung over your hip, his hand curled on to your stomach. You hummed in response and snuggled your head further into his chest. Yep, Nick was a goner, he was falling for you. Fast. 

With the hand that had been laying across his stomach, you slowly started drawing circles, catching the fabric of his shirt. He sighed in response. Your thoughts were hardly on the show anymore, as you breathed him in, you found your thoughts turning less and less innocent the longer you rested your head on his strong chest; feeling his warmth and the gentle rise and fall of his breathing. You decided to go for it. 

You sat up, which left the two of you chest to chest with his right hand on your hip and your right hand dragging up his stomach to his left pec. He met your eyes, a silent question asked. Without verbally answering you leaned in and pressed your lips to his. While there had been heat behind every kiss you had shared, there was no denying the absolute want laced in this one. He swiped his tongue across your lips, silently asking for permission. With no hesitation you eagerly opened yourself to him; both of you groaning as the kiss deepened. 

He shifted, bringing you on to his lap and wrapping one arm behind your back and the other gently on the back of your head. Wanting, no, needing more you moved to completely straddle Nick, bringing your hands to rest on the back of his neck. He groaned as you lowered yourself to the top of his thighs; he could feel the heat from your core against his groin. Both of your tongues continued to explore the other; mapping out the intimate taste and feel. Soon enough, the need to breathe became overpowering. 

You leaned back slightly, resting your forehead against his, panting softly as you tried to catch your breath. His eyes remained closed and the faintest hint of a smirk graced his lips. 

He softly cleared his throat, “damn,” he whispered. You remained so close to him that you could feel his warm breath across your lips. You giggled tenderly. 

“Yeah, wow,” you breathlessly replied. You quickly turned, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, before turning back to him and running your hands along his neck and his jaw.

Nick’s hands slid down your back, momentarily resting on the top of your ass, before he opened his eyes and slid his hands up under your sweater and sweatshirt. You both gasped at the contact. He pulled you closer and down against him, as he reached up to capture your lips again in a heated kiss. His tongue quickly asserted dominance as he seemed to caress every inch of your mouth. His hands were equally as busy, gently sliding around your rib cage, down to your hips, up under the swell of your breasts. He didn’t leave a single spot untouched as he explored your skin. 

You leaned back, removing both of your hands from him and lifting off your (his) sweatshirt and sweater, tossing them behind you. Nick’s eyes widened as he took in your yoga-bra clad breasts and your softly defined abs. You pulled at his shirt until he finally reached back and pulled off his shirt, also tossing it behind you. Pausing a beat, you watched his eyes take in your form as you let your hair out of its ponytail. Slowly you reached up and pulled off your yoga bra and tossed it to the side, slightly shaking your hair. His lips instantly met yours in a bruising kiss as he ran his hands up and down your exposed back. “You.” kiss “Are.” kiss “So.” kiss. “Exquisite.” kiss “Darlin’.” He whispered against your lips, turning into a soft groan as you started to slowly grind against his lap. 

His lips moved across your jaw and down your neck, nipping gently at a spot behind your ear. “Oh...Nick….” you moaned, bringing one hand to the back of his head and the other squeezing his shoulder. You felt, more than heard, him growl as you moaned his name. You continued to gently grind into him. He continued to place kisses down your neck, across your collarbone, and to the tops of your breasts. You arched your back, as his lips traced the curve of your breast to your nipple, gently taking it in his mouth. “Oh!” you moaned as he suddenly ran his tongue across your hardening peak. His hands pressed into your back as your back arched. Both of your hands flew to his hair, gently tugging on the short strands. You felt him groan your name against your chest. 

You pulled back from him slightly, giggling softly at the whimper that your departure pulled from him. Panting you caught his eyes. 

“I want you,” you said softly, running a hand over the stubble that was beginning to grow along his jaw. “I’m clean, tested before I left LA and I haven’t been with anyone sense,” you continued, “oh, and I have an IUD,” you muttered as you pressed your lips to his forehead. You felt Nick’s hips suddenly jerk up. 

Nick’s brain short circuited with that information. His mind conjuring up all kinds of images of coming inside of you, watching it dripping out of your- 

He suddenly cleared his throat, shaking his head slightly. His voice an octave lower and the timbre gravelly as he strained to answer you, “um, yeah… ‘m clean too, tested about 4 months ago...last physical, no partners since.” His voice sounded just as wrecked as you felt. 

You smiled and moved to stand up in front of him. Silently smirking at him, as he wordlessly asked what you were doing. Slowly, painfully slowly, you hooked your thumbs into the waistband of your leggings and started sliding them down your legs. Once you reached your knees, you turned around, exposing your backside to Nick, as you continued to slide the fabric off your body, bending at the waist, giving him a perfect view of your ass. You heard him groan your name as he took in the bright red lacy panties you were wearing. Stepping out of your leggings, you stood up and turned back to face him. He reached out towards you grabbing your wrist, but instead of allowing him to pull you back down to the couch, you leaned back slightly and pulled him up. Grabbing his hand, you turned and led him down the hallway to the bedroom. You could feel his eyes on your backside the entire time. 

Reaching his bedroom, Nick seemed to have somewhat recovered his senses. He suddenly grabbed your hips, spun you around to face him, and picked you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and draped your arms over his strong shoulders, placing kisses along his jawline. He effortlessly walked across the room to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he loosened his grip on your ass, allowing you to fully sink onto his thighs. His hands continued to massage your backside eliciting moans from you. 

“So...an IUD, huh?” he mischievously murmured, gazing at you with slightly hooded eyes.

“Uh huh,” you nodded back, sending him a wink. 

“Damn, woman,” Nick sighed, “you are going to be the absolute death of me. You know that, right?” 

“Uh huh,” you nodded again, biting your lower lip. You ground your core into his crotch, enjoying the satisfying groan that escaped his lips. “Come on cowboy,” you enticed. You could feel his excitement pressed against the inside of your thigh, even through his sweatpants. You moaned his name. 

With a growl of your name and an expletive, Nick suddenly picked you up and spun, holding you up with one arm, he ripped the comforter off with the other, and gently tossed you onto the bed. Your head hitting the pillows. He crawled up over you, completing caging your body under his. When he came face to face with you, he asked softly but heatedly “I gotta taste you, please sweetheart...please let me taste you.” 

“Yes….fuck yes….” you breathlessly answered, nodding. 

Nick began crawling back down your body, tracing the curves and lines of your body with his tongue as he went. Once he reached the band of your red lacy panties, he nipped at them with his teeth, before using his fingers to slide them down your legs. You lifted your hips to help him. Once he had pulled them completely off, he stood at the foot of the bed, gazing over your nude form. 

“Damn, sweetheart. You have any idea how gorgeous you are?” his accent seeped into his murmured question. He quickly kicked off his sweatpants, leaving him in tight black boxers, showing off a sizable bulge. He reached up and pulled you down the bed by your hips, until he was face to face with your dripping core. You let out a slight squeak as he gripped your thighs, pulling you to him as he kneeled on the floor at the foot of the bed. 

You let out a sigh as you felt his warm breath across your core, milliseconds before you felt his tongue lick you from your ass, up to circle your clit. You moaned his name. In any other situation you would have been embarrassed by the pornstar quality moan you had just released or how unbelievably wet you were from just making out with him on the couch. But you couldn’t care less at that moment, as Nick continued to lick, suck, and explore your cunt with the same measured determination you had witnessed him use while processing a scene. Observing how your body responded to each of his actions; listening to your vocalizations as he pressed a finger into you. He took his time learning your body, as he slowly took you apart.

“Damn, sweetheart you taste even sweeter than I imagined,” he sighed, releasing warm breath against your core. You shivered in response. 

You moved your calves to rest on his back as he brought his shoulders flush with your thighs. Tangling one hand in his short hair, your other hand slid up your stomach to grip and squeeze your breast. Glancing up at you, Nick moaned into your core, as he saw your blissed out, wrecked disposition. He continued to devour your cunt, like it was his only mission, your satisfaction was his only job. 

Quickly your moans grew louder and became unintelligible sounds of pleasure, mixed in with the occasional “fuck, right there,” or “yes, Nick.” Soon you were crashing over the edge, arching your back up off the bed and shoving your cunt deeper into Nick’s face. He gently helped you ride out your release. Eventually, Nick gently removed his fingers from you, but continued softly licking your core until you wiggled your hips away. You missed the look of absolute lust on his face as he licked your wetness off his fingers. 

Laying down beside you, Nick traced his hand along your stomach and up across your breasts. “Wow….that was…..I don’t think I’ve ever…..wow…..” you weren’t able to string together a coherent thought after the mindblowing orgasm he had just given you. After a few moments, your brain seemed able to function again, you rolled to your side, facing Nick, drawing him into a deep, dirty kiss. Your hand sliding down the planes of his chiseled chest, towards his obvious bulge in his boxers. 

Upon reaching your goal, you gripped him firmly through his boxers, causing him to buck up into your hand and groan. “My turn,” you said against his lips. 

Enthusiastically he rolled over and pulled off the last piece of fabric separating the two of you. Returning to his back, you let your eyes hungrily take in his naked body, just as you had allowed him to do minutes earlier. You whimpered at the sight of his painfully erect cock, causing your mouth to begin to water. Nick was big, not just long, but also deliciously wide. You squeezed your thighs together at the thought of taking him. He smirked at your reaction. You crawled over him, until you were on your knees between his legs. His smirk quickly turned into a gasp, as you licked a stripe along one side of his cock. 

“Oh….shit….” Nick moaned, strained, as you continued to lick and suck his length.

You brought your lips to the tip of his cock, allowing his girth to push open your mouth, beginning to slide into you. The growl of your name that was punched out of his lips sent a shiver straight to your core. You continued easing him into your mouth, going slow in an attempt to not choke yourself on his considerable length. Wrapping your lips around his shaft you continued to bring him deeper and deeper. Alternating between swirling your tongue around him and sliding your lips over him. Sliding back just to slide even further. Again, sliding back and then deeper. His moans had dissolved into filthy praises that had your cunt practically gushing. As he hit the back of your throat, he let out a deep groan and tensed. You paused, just holding him there. Nick brought his hand to the back of your head, not pushing, just gathering your hair into a makeshift ponytail. 

“Fuck…..” he uttered, staring down at your perfect lips stretched around him with lust, tears, and something he couldn’t place in your eyes looking innocently back up at him. Nick had always known that he leaned more towards lace rather than leather, innocence instead of sex kitten. But, shit, seeing you with your mouth stuffed full of his cock, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes, he felt like he might have just died and gone to heaven. He felt the surge of an orgasm tingle in the base of his spine. 

“Oh, fuck, angel….you gotta stop. I don’t wanna come yet,” he breathlessly said, pulling you off of him, trying to hold his body back. 

You hummed as you sat up, licking your lips. Before you could bring your hand up to wipe your mouth, Nick was sitting up and capturing your lips in a hungry, dirty kiss, dragging his hands along your back, pulling you over him. With your tongues still wrestling for control, he rolled you over so that he caged you beneath him. 

Breaking the kiss, you dropped your head back to the pillows, locking eyes with him. His elbows were on either side of your head, while he gently ground his hips into yours. You moaned softly. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and placed a chaste kiss on your lips. This completely soft moment threw you for a second, until you really looked into his eyes. Something like love was shining back to you. You prayed that he could see that you felt the same way. You tried to show him how you felt. It felt like a silent acknowledgment that this wasn’t just about sex. No, what was about to happen felt more meaningful than just a quick fuck. It scared you to think about it, but at the same time you knew it to be true. Nick was about to make love to you. 

A slight nod of his head asked the question. An equally slight nod of your head answered. 

Nick captured your lips again, but this time the kiss felt different. Just as powerful as the previous kisses, however the heat behind this kiss felt deeper, slower? Less frantic, more connection, like each of you were trying to get your souls to kiss. He angled his hips as his cock caught on your entrance. Both of you gasped into the kiss but refused to stop. Slowly. Slowly he pushed into you. Forced to break the kiss, you arched your neck up in a moan as he stretched you more than you had ever experienced before. He brought his lips to your neck, attempting to soothe you. 

“You are so beautiful y/n,” he whispered into your neck. “From the moment I saw you in the break room, I’ve been so drawn to you.” Tentatively he thrust a little more, receiving a moan and fingernails digging into his shoulders. “Shit, look at you. Look at how well you are taking me, just opening to me,” he continued to whisper praises into your neck, “so…..so perfect…..you are doing so well angel.” He thrust a little deeper, moaning “oh yes….sweetheart…..fuck…..’s tight.” With one last gentle thrust, he bottomed out, groaning out your name into your neck. 

Your hands had been on his shoulders, but you brought them to his cheeks to bring his face to yours, needing him to see how good he was making you feel. Staring into his eyes you kissed him passionately, trying to pour all of your emotions into that kiss. After a few moments, you nodded slightly, and whispered “ok, I really need you to move now.” 

Chuckling, Nick responded “yes ma’am.” Rising up to his palms, he looked down at you, taking in the glow on your cheeks and the flush across your chest.

He pulled his hips back and both of you groaned as you could feel the drag of every inch of him over your walls. Slowly he started to build up a rhythm. Pulling back slowly and thrusting forward quickly. Your hands couldn’t decide where to land, his shoulders, his hair, or his chest. You ended up sliding them all over, needing to feel every inch of his skin. A sheen of sweat quickly covered both of you. 

Nick leaned back onto his heels, bringing his hands to your hips as he continued his deliciously torturous rhythm of slowly pulling out then quickly thrusting back. He was mesmerized by the bounce of your breasts with each of his trusts. He brought his hand up to your nub, rubbing in tight circles. You bucked your hips up, causing both of you to groan as your walls tightened around his length. You started raising your hips to meet each of his trusts, Nick felt the power in your muscles and the strength in your body. The pace quickened, as each of you could feel yourself beginning to tumble into ecstasy. 

“Oh….oh my god…..Ni….Nick…...fuck…….yes,” you stuttered to moan as you felt the pull of your orgasm grow stronger. The coil in your stomach tightening.

He dropped back to his elbows over you, increasing the friction over your clit as his lower abs ground into it on every thrust. The slide of his chest causing friction over your hardened nipples. “Oh fuck!” You shouted, “yes……..yes…...Ni……..Nick…….please,” you pleaded. You weren’t sure what you were pleading for, but he seemed to understand, beginning to swivel his hips as he ground into you. Meeting him thrust for thrust. You gripped his shoulders tightly.

He crashed his lips into yours, intending on kissing you, but neither of you were able to fully commit, it became more just shared air as you both raced towards release. Foreheads pressed against together.

With one frantic twist of his hips, Nick sent you screaming into your climax. Your fingernails dug tightly into the flesh of his shoulders as your walls fluttered and squeezed him like a velvet vice. Three thrusts later, Nick grunted as he shoved his hips flush with your thighs, pushing himself deep into you as he came. The sound of him grunting your name as he came was the hottest thing you had ever heard in your life, combined with the feeling of his release splashing against your walls triggered another small orgasm from you. Causing Nick to groan again as your walls again tightened around him. 

The two of you stayed interlocked, staring into each other’s eyes, trying to catch your breaths. Both of you reeling from the intensity of your climaxes and the unexpected emotions attached. You felt an unexpected tear escape the corner of your eye, not going unnoticed by Nick, he brought his hand up, gently wiping it away. He placed a soft kiss against your lips. Again, that silent acknowledgment that something was now different. You reached up and kissed him softly, dipping your tongue into his mouth and running your fingers along his jaw. Neither of you wanted this moment to end. 

Even growing soft, Nick still made you feel so full. Softly humming into the kiss, you tried to convey just how satisfied you were. 

Unfortunately, you were to the one to break the sweet kiss a moment later as you felt your combined releases slide down onto the bedding beneath your ass. “We should probably move and get cleaned up,” you whispered. 

“Nah, not yet,” he answered with that panty-dropping smirk of his. You giggled, causing him to groan as your walls fluttered around him. “You keep that up, and this might turn into round 2,” he joked. Again, causing you to giggle and your walls to flutter around him. His groan was deeper this time. 

“God, as tempting as that sounds, we should probably get up though. I need to pee so I don’t get a UTI, we need to clean up these sheets, and we should probably check on Sam to make sure he isn’t scarred,” you giggled, pressing your hands gently on his shoulders, slightly pushing. 

He dropped his head to your shoulder, “ugh, okay fine,” he playfully relented, moving to roll off of you. Both of you hissed as he pulled himself from you. You immediately missed the feeling of him filling you so completely. You could feel the soreness already beginning to set in. For a moment you just laid side by side, enjoying the afterglow. 

A soft whine from the doorway caught both of your attention. Looking up, you saw Sam sitting in the doorway watching the two of you. 

“Well that’s not awkward,” Nick deadpanned joked as he got up and walked towards Sam, “what do you want? Huh? You gotta go interrupting my time with my girl. Come on buddy…Do I need to put a sock on the door or somethin’…” his voice became muffled as he walked down the hall with Sam trotting beside him. You shamelessly admired his backside as he walked away. 

Laughing you got up and walked into the bathroom. You quickly took care of business before glancing into the mirror. A thoroughly blissed out expression was reflected back to you, along with some serious sex hair.  _ Was that a hickey? When did that happen?  _ You normally hated being marked up by your partner, but you found that you kind of liked having a hickey from Nick.  _ Interesting... _ Running cold water over your face and trying to tame your hair as much as possible, you did your best to feel presentable again. You walked back out into the bedroom, admiring the scattering of bedding strewn throughout the room. The books on his nightstand had been knocked to the floor and only one pillow remained on the bed. You giggled at the sight. 

Nick came walking back into the room, holding the clothes that had been discarded in the living room. He caught your expression as you were taking in the mess. Meeting each other’s eyes, you both started laughing. He moved to hand you your sweater, when you surprised him by reaching for the LVPD shirt he had been wearing earlier. You slid it on, missing the look of awe that came across Nick’s face. 

“He probably wanted to go outside and get some fresh air,” you laughed, gesturing around the room.

“Probably. He’ll scratch to get back in soon, so keep an ear open,” he responded, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers. 

You and Nick quickly changed the sheets and put the pillows back on the bed. Sure enough, a few minutes later Sam gently scratched to be let back into the house. As Nick went to let him back in, you crawled under the covers and stretched out. 

As Nick returned to the bedroom, his heart stopped. There you were, looking every bit the angel he knew you were, tucked into  _ his  _ bed, in  _ his  _ bedroom, after  _ he  _ had just thoroughly fucked you into that very same bed. His heart swelled as you reached out towards him, calling him to come join you. How could he ever deny you? Never, he knew the answer was never. He would never be able to deny you anything. 

He crawled into bed and quickly pulled you to his chest. You let out a contented sigh as you snuggled your head into his chest and wrapped an arm over him. He wrapped his arms around you, running his hands under his shirt that you were wearing. The feeling of your warm, soft skin under his slightly calloused hands triggered his mouth to open before he could stop himself. 

“Hey angel,” he whispered softly in the dark.

“Yeah,” you whispered back. 

“Today was incredible.  _ You  _ are incredible. Please don’t get freaked out, but…” he hesitated, “but, I think I’m fallin’ for you.” 

You placed a kiss on his bare chest, humming briefly before responding, “ok, but don’t get freaked out if I say that I’m fallin’ for you too.”


	4. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

Sun streaming across your face wakes you up.  _ Hmm, that’s weird the sun doesn’t hit my bedroom window from that directio _ n, was your first semi-coherent thought. Sighing and rolling over, you tried to escape the sunlight.  _ Just a little bit longer. _ You try to burrow your head deeper into your pillow. You are suddenly startled when your pillow rumbled and shifted beneath you. 

As your eyes fly open, you take in your surroundings.  _ This isn’t my room. _ Dark tan walls, dark blue sheets, and  _ oh, wow, ok that is sore…. _ As you slide your thighs over each other. And then all at once, you remember. You remember  _ where  _ you are and  _ who  _ you are with. And with a blush, you remember why you are so sore. 

“G’mornin’,” Nick greets you in a voice that is entirely too sexy for having just woke up. His voice is thick with sleep and has a gravelly timbre to it that is making you wish you weren’t so sore. He smooths a hand over your back and down the curve of your naked backside. 

“Mornin’,” you answer, turning in his arms to face him, landing with your head resting on his stomach. He brushes a stray hair out of your face, sliding down to cup your chin, his thumb softly caressing your jaw. You hum and close your eyes. 

“I was afraid that I would wake up and be heartbroken to find that last night was just a dream,” he said as he continued to caress your cheek. He moved his other arm up, bending his elbow to rest his head on his hand, his elbow bumping the headboard slightly. 

“Not a dream,” you reply. You scoot up his body, so you could rest your head on his shoulder, placing kisses on his bare chest on the way up. 

He hummed in response, “I’m glad,” and places a kiss to the top of your head. “I wonder what time it is,” he mused after a few minutes. 

You groan, “oh crap, if I’ve missed yoga, they are going to kill me for sure.” You glance over to the nightstand in search of your phone. You groan again, “shit, I think I left it in the kitchen in my bag. Ugh.” You dramatically flop yourself back on to Nick’s chest. 

He chuckles endearingly at your dramatics, kissing your forehead. Trying not to disturb you, he leans over to his nightstand and grabs his phone, “its 4:13, Sunday afternoon. What time is your yoga class with Sara and Morgan?” 

“6 o’clock,” you answer, slightly muffled because you’ve smashed your face into his chest. 

“Good, we have some more time together then,” he says simply. 

“Oh yeah? And what should we do with this extra time?” you ask flirtatiously.

“Well, I can think of a few things,” Nick offered seductively, his voice dropping. 

Pretty soon the two of you find yourselves tangled up in each other, making out like a couple of teenagers. Relationships have never felt like this before, at least not for you. You were so comfortable with Nick, so willing to just be yourself and let your guard down. He knew things about you that even some of your longtime friends didn’t know. There wasn’t any tension or nerves anymore, just absolute comfort and safety. Thinking back to  _ that  _ moment last night, you realized that this really was something different. 

The two of you lazily made out for a while, until the desire for more became too much. Unfortunately, you were more sore than you anticipated. Being the clever gentleman that he is, however, Nick did not let that stop him from bringing you pleasure. Laying you down and eating you out like it was his last meal, Nick brought you to two mind-blowing orgasms with his mouth. Wanting to return the favor, you pushed him down and brought your lips to him with no hesitation. Throwing his head back against the pillows with a satisfied groan, he had not been expecting you to be so direct. You teased and sucked him until he was coming down your throat. 

Totally sated, you asked Nick if he would be willing to take you to yoga so you didn’t have to waste time going home beforehand. 

“Of course, sweetheart, anything for you,” he replied, gently squeezing your ass, “but you should probably be prepared for Sara and Morgan to give you a world of hell if they see my truck anywhere near that yoga studio.” He laughed, “not to mention that little mark you got there on your neck.” He ran his fingers over the hickey. 

“Yeah, I noticed that. Thanks,” you playfully chided him. He just shrugged his shoulders and did his best to look the picture of innocence. You swatted at his shoulder. 

A little while later you had showered, were dressed for yoga, and Nick was driving you over to the studio. 

“So, is work gonna be weird between us?” He asked, squeezing your hand. 

“I don’t think so. I think we can be two professionals while we’re at work,” you replied, “why? You worried?”

“Nope, not at all. Just wanted to put it out there in case you were feelin’ uneasy,” he said, again squeezing your hand and bringing your hand up to kiss your knuckles. 

“And that is one of the reasons why I’m falling for you,” you murmured softly. He just grinned at you. 

As he pulled up to the studio, you leaned over and kissed him. “See you later.” 

“Yes ma’am. Have fun sweetheart!”

You jumped out of the truck with your bag over your shoulder and walked into the studio. You should have known that they would get there early, you really should have seen that coming. They were trained investigators after all.

“Uh, was that Nick’s truck you just hopped out of?” Sara instantly asked you, walking up to give you a hug. 

“It sure was. It looked like she gave him a- hold up! IS THAT A HICKEY?” Morgan shrieked, pulling you from Sara. Her hands grabbed your cheeks, turning your head to the side.

You could feel your body flush, as some of the other members shot the three of you dirty looks. 

“Shh, shush. Do  _ not  _ get us kicked out of here, I like this studio,” you whisper-yelled at Morgan, trying to subdue her. You tried to gently remove her hands from your neck.

Quickly, and quietly, you filled them in on your date. Obviously leaving out many of the more intimate details out of the story. As you finished, Morgan pulled out her phone and shot a text off to Nick. 

**Morgan: hey there Casanova, heard your date went *really* well. I’m really happy for you guys! But my threat still stands, you are my friend, but if you hurt her, I will end you.**

**Nick: 10-4 message received loud and clear**

You giggled at her protectiveness. As you sat down to start stretching, Sara noticed you wincing. “Oh hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, totally. Just a little, you know, sore,” you tried to play it off. But again, trained investigator, you couldn’t get anything by her.

Sara started shaking her head dramatically, “yeah. No, um, I don’t want or need any further details. Uh uh” You laughed. 

*****

After class, you hugged Sara and Morgan, telling them that you would see them the next day at work. You pulled up Uber and scheduled a ride home. 

As you were walking up to your front door, you noticed a folded piece of paper taped to it. Without thinking about it, you ripped it off and unfolded it. Instantly your blood ran cold. 

Scrawled across the paper were the words: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?? I’M WATCHING YOU

Trembling you could barely get your keys in the lock, trying to push open your front door. 

*****

You were sitting in DB’s office with him, Nick, and Morgan. 

“And you didn’t see anybody around?” DB was asking you again.

You shook your head, “no, but to be honest I wasn’t really paying attention.” You groaned,  _ god, how many times had you heard witnesses or victims say that. _ You rolled your head back, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Some criminalist I am,” you said to the ceiling. 

Morgan squeezed your arm as Nick ran a hand soothingly along your thigh. “Hey, stop that. Don’t beat yourself up over this,” DB said, standing up and moving behind his desk he added “well, you haven’t been in Vegas all that long, so that will help narrow down the suspects.” 

*****

The team had rallied around you, committing to protecting you and taking down this threat as a family. Even Brass had popped his head in your lab one day to give you a hug and let you know that PD was following up on some leads. It was comforting to know that you had people supporting you and that you didn’t have to face this alone. 

Two days after you found the letter, you were walking out to your car in the secure employee lot when you stopped cold in your tracks. There, tucked under your windshield wiper, was another folded piece of paper. Staying glued to the spot, you instantly pulled out your phone and called Russell. 

DB, Nick, and Greg came running out of the lab, kits in hand. You merely pointed as they all came running up. 

DB and Greg went immediately to your car. Nick dropped his kit by your feet and wrapped you in a hug, dropping his mouth by your ear. 

“Y/n. Are you okay angel? Hey, are you okay?” He urgently asked, as he ran his hands along your back. You just nodded into his chest, trying to stifle the sound of your tears against his shirt. 

“Okay, okay. It's okay. I’m right here. Look, the team is right here. We got you,” he continued to offer soothing words, gently rocking you back and forth. He felt his shirt dampen, breaking his heart. “It's okay sweetheart. I’m not going to let anybody hurt you,” he whispered in your ear. 

Greg and DB walked over to you and Nick. You rolled out of the embrace with Nick to face the approaching men, with Nick still holding you securely in his right arm. Greg held up an evidence bag containing the note, which read: I’M WARNING YOU! BACK OFF!

Greg asked “y/n do you recognize the handwriting?” You shook your head. 

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Nick, you are going to take y/n home. No wait, you are going to take y/n to her house, pack an overnight bag, and then take her to your place,” DB looked to Nick, as he nodded his understanding, turning to Greg he continued, “Greg, first thing tomorrow, you and Sara are going to pull all of y/n’s active case files. Go through them, what do they want her to back off from? What is she getting too close to?” Greg nodded, as Russell continued, “I can’t pull Katherine off that stabbing on the strip and Morgan is supposed to be in court all this week on that robbery case from a couple months ago.” 

Nick spoke up, “What do you need me to do?” 

“Nicky, you are going to keep an eye on y/n.”

You made a noise of displeasure at being treated like you were useless, “hold up, I’m not some helpless victim here!” You raised your voice, “yes I’m scared, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do my job or help figure out whatever the hell is going on?” 

DB reached out and placed his hand on your arm, “I know you aren’t some helpless victim. I know that,” he looked you straight in the eyes, emphasizing his point. “I was going to say, Nick, you look after y/n, she is not to be alone for the next few days, and then you help Greg and Sara go through her active cases. Y/n, you are going to let Nicky watch out for you and you are going to keep doing your job. You still carrying?”

You nodded, “always,” tapping your hip awkwardly under Nick’s protective arm. 

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” 

You nodded, “okay.” Nick continued to gently stroke your back. 

“Okay,” DB said with a tone of finality.

You turned to Greg, “thank you Greg.”

“Hey no sweat. When one member of the family is threatened, it's all hands on deck until we find this sick freak and end it,” he answered. 

Nick drove you to your house, insisting that he do a sweep before even letting you out of the truck. It was a little overkill, but you did appreciate his protectiveness. 

**Morgan: I just heard. How are you?**

**You: I think I’m ok, I did just bawl my eyes out in front of Russell and Greg though, so thats embarrassing**

**Morgan: stop, its not embarrassing. We are a family, and they love you. We are going to get this bastard. I promise. You still carrying?**

**You: yea, always**

**Morgan: good**

**You: You sound like Russell lol I luv you**

**Morgan: I love you too, now you let me know if you need anything, ok?**

**You: I promise. DB made Nick my personal bodyguard, and told him that I’m not allowed to go anywhere by myself until this is over**

**Morgan: good. I’ve seen Nick when he is protective, he can be fierce.**

**You: yea?**

**Morgan: you are in good hands. I love you, let me know if you need anything.**

**You: I will, thanks**

As you were sliding your phone back into your pocket, Nick opened up our door, “all clear, let’s grab you a bag and get you someplace safe.” 

You reached out and kissed him, murmuring your thanks against his lips. “I’m fallin’ for you.” 

He softly responded “I’m fallin’ for you too.” 

*****

One week later, you were in your lab comparing bullet characteristics under the scope while simultaneously running them through the database on your computer.

Hodges walked into your lab, announcing “look, I am not some kind of courier, so don’t get used to this.” He dropped two brown evidence bags on your workbench. You looked at the bags and then to him.

“Where did these come from? Whose case is it?” 

He shrugged, “reception just asked me to bring them back to you. They’re marked firearms.” 

Intrigued, you got up and walked over to the bags, looking for a case number or assigned CSI. 

“What I want to know is who is the CSI that is not following procedures. Hm, I’d bet Ecklie would be interested in knowing that too,” David mused aloud. 

“Hodges, for once could you not be...you?” you asked, gesturing to all of him. 

“Hmph, fine. Well, when you figure out who is slacking, let me know,” he sang, walking out of your office. 

You rolled your eyes at his retreating figure. Curiosity making you inpatient, you quickly packed up and signed new labels for the bullets you were processing and placed them back in the vault. No matter how curious you were, you were still a stickler for protocol. Which was another reason why this evidence intrigued you so much, who had been so lax with their chain of custody? 

Walking back to your workbench, you took a closer look at the evidence label, trying to decipher which CSI’s case this was. Tilting the bag slightly, you felt the object inside tilt and slide along the bottom of the bag. Suddenly you heard a click from the object inside the bag. Before you could react or complete a thought, the top of the bag (where your face would have been if you had just gone to open it normally) shattered open with an explosive loud bang. 

Heat abruptly exploded over your face and arms, as a force swiftly knocked you backwards falling to the ground. You remember objects flying through the air; your ears were ringing; someone was shouting…..and then black. 


	5. Chapter Five

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

The first thing you became aware of was the ringing in your ears. You couldn’t shake it, but you knew you needed to try to get your bearings. Then when you tried to open your eyes, you became aware of how much debris was flying through the air. Deciding it was best not to look up, you dropped your eyes. Looking down was even more confusing, because you saw the floor of your lab but it was covered in... _ stuff? _ Your eyes looked down at your body,  _ why were you on the floor of your lab? What had happened? _ Your navy lab coat looked polka dotted, there seemed to be spots of a dark substance creating speckles.  _ That didn’t make any sense.  _ Looking around, you noticed broken glass beside you on the floor, and a large piece of dented metal, a table maybe? _ Oh god, that's my workbench. Which means the shattered glass is from the windowed wall that looks out into the hall...what? Did I fall through it? What happened here?  _ You tried to crawl closer to the hall, but your hands kept slipping on something and couldn’t find traction. Looking down you saw that your hands were covered in that same dark substance that was ruining your lab coat, and making it polka dotted. 

Suddenly arms were lifting up from behind and pulling you out into the hallway. You wanted to thank the person for reading your mind, but as you went to turn your head to speak, you were hit with a wave of dizziness, and you forced your eyes down again. Through the ringing, all of a sudden you heard someone yell your name repeatedly.  _ Man, they are really concerned, they sound scared. _ Was it the same person who had pulled you from your lab? 

The last semi-coherent thought you had before you slipped into unconsciousness was about dark brown eyes, dimpled smiles, and someone calling you angel. 

*****

_ Shit, why does everything hurt?  _ You groaned as you tried to move.  _ Why can’t I move?  _ Trying not to panic, you tried to open your eyes. You groaned.  _ Okay, that hurts….why is it so bright?  _ You tried to open your eyes again, going slower this time. Your head was turned to the side, and the first thing you saw was a railing of some kind, trying to focus your vision more, more objects started to take shape...some tubing? Maybe a window in the distance? Some kind of machine...medical maybe?  _ Medical….tubing….am I in the hospital?  _ You groaned again, trying to make sense of what was going on. Keeping your eyes open, you tried turning your head to look straight ahead or up (it was hard to tell if your chest was elevated or if you were flat on your back). Turning your head, you saw more signs that confirmed you were in some kind of a hospital: more tubing, more medical equipment, those terrible hospital chairs they put by patients' beds. Only, wait, hold up...that terrible hospital chair has someone sitting in it. 

“Ni….Nick….” you croaked out softly. 

The man in the chair shot up and immediately came to your side, taking your hand in his and cradling your face in the other. He looked like he had been through hell, his face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and hair a mess (like he had been running his hands through it for hours). 

“Y/n! Yeah, baby I’m right here. I’m right here. You’re awake!” Nick rambled, firmly holding your hand and squeezing. Turning to yell out the curtain doorway, he shouted “Hey, hey nurse, someone! She’s awake!” 

Turning back to you, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on your lips. “I’m fallin’ for you,” he softly whispered. You groaned in pain at the contact.  _ What the hell? My lips hurt! Why does everything hurt? What the hell happened? _

Nick saw the pain and subsequent confusion flash over your bruised features. He grimaced, he really didn’t want to show you all of the bruises or explain to you what had happened. He just wanted to celebrate that you were finally awake and that you were going to be okay. 

“Wh...what….what….hap….happened?” you croaked out in a whisper. 

You watched his face fall as his eyes watered. Stalling, he reached for a cup of water from a nearby table and offered you the straw. As you were gulping down the most refreshing water you had ever experienced, a nurse walked in and began looking you over, shining a light in your eyes, taking your pulse, etc. 

She ushered Nick closer to the curtain barrier and spoke briefly with him, before turning to leave the room. 

“Good news, sweetheart, you’re gonna be okay. They’re gonna keep you for a couple more days, just to monitor for any concussions, but it looks like you’re out of the woods now,” Nick answered your unspoken question, gently running his hand down your arm. “Now, I’m gonna let Russell know that you’re awake, which means we have about 20 minutes until the entire team comes barreling through that curtain. I’ll fill you in before they get here.” 

True to his word, after slipping his phone back into his pocket, Nick sat down and started to explain everything to you. Hodges had brought in two bags of evidence, which had been left unattended at reception, and you had started to open one. Nick choked up as he told you how lucky you’d been that you tilted it away from your head as the explosion went off. It had been designed to kill whoever opened the bag. He told you how Greg and Henry had been the first to respond to the explosion, pulling you out of your lab before you passed out. You had been rushed to the hospital and immediately into surgery. The bomb had been rigged with crude shrapnel. Luckily the bombmaker didn’t really know what they were doing, so most of the shrapnel only caused scrapes and shallow cuts instead of deep lacerations. You had had internal bleeding from the concussive force of the bomb, which is why you went into surgery. Nick told you that you had recovered well but that you had been unconscious for two days. 

“Two days?” you asked, shocked. “What about the team, is everyone okay?” 

Nick chuckled, “looks like Morgan is gonna owe me twenty bucks, I was right.” You looked at him questioningly. “She bet me that you would ask about your lab and all the evidence first, and I said that you would ask about the team first.” He smiled, “I know you care about the people more.” 

You rolled your eyes, groaning slightly, when suddenly something was bothering you. “Wait, hold on….you said the evidence had been abandoned at reception, where did it come from?” 

Again, Nick chuckled. “Always the investigator. That’s the thing, we don’t know. At least not yet. The whole team is working on it though.” He soothingly ran his hand along your arm. 

“One last thing,” he said cautiously. You nodded. “You have a lot of cuts and bruises all over your face and body.” 

“Yeah, I kinda figured when I woke up and everything hurt.” 

“When they pulled you out of your lab, Greg and Henry weren’t sure where you were injured...and baby, you looked like you were in rough shape at first...So Greg ended up cutting through your top to see if they needed to stop any bleeding.” He silently implored you to understand. 

Taking a moment to digest everything that Nick had just told you, you finally replied “So Henry and Greg saw my boobs.” 

“Yeah,” Nick breathed out, solemnly. 

“God! Don’t do that!” You gently smacked him on the shoulder, “Shit, your lead up made it sound like I was tragically deformed or something! Fuck! I hate you!” 

Nick broke into a deep laugh, throwing his head back. Honestly it had been the first time he actually laughed since before the explosion. 

“That was so mean!” You tried to smack him again. You couldn’t help but giggle at his antics though.

“Well, I see that we have our girl back,” the voice of DB Russell floated into the room. 

Turning to look, you saw the whole team standing outside the curtain. You nodded to Nick, and he stood up and threw back the curtain, letting the team crowd around your bed. Tears started flowing quickly, as everyone reached out to touch some part of you. Your heart felt like it was going to burst with the amount of love you felt. Glancing around your bed, at your team, your people...your  _ family _ , you knew everything was eventually going to be okay. 

Nick remained by your side, holding your hand as everyone gave you hugs, kisses, and wished you well. Katherine and Morgan were sobbing; Sara was trying to remain stoic, but you saw her wipe a tear away discreetly as she kissed your forehead; Greg, Henry, and Hodges all gave you big hugs and promised that they would keep you up to date on the progress of the case. Doc Robbins and Super Dave each gave you pecks on the forehead and squeezed your hand, promising to drop by every day after shift to check on you. Once the others had filtered out, with wishes of wellbeing, statements of love, and promises to catch the bastard, only Nick and DB remained. 

Both men pulled up chairs, sitting on either side of your bed. Nick continued to hold your hand, his thumb drawing soothing circles across your skin. 

“You gave us all quite the scare there missy,” DB said, in that fatherly voice of his. 

“So I’ve heard,” you answered, squeezing his hand. “Can you fill me on what you have so far? Or….?”

“I think that’s alright, what do you think?” he replied, looking to Nick. 

“Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea, maybe you can help us out.” 

DB summarized the evidence for you and Nick. Unknown prints had been lifted from both threatening letters; they were run through the system but nothing popped. Prints of a patrolman were lifted from the second letter, explaining how it got inside of the secure employee lot. DB explained that a woman had approached the patrolman, asking him to leave a love note on her boyfriend’s car. You rolled your eyes. 

Video footage of the reception area showed a blonde woman drop off the fake evidence bags when the receptionist was busy. There were no clear shots of her face, unfortunately. 

The bomb fragments were still being analyzed, but so far it looked like a run-of-the-mill homemade pipe bomb set with a motion detector trigger device - supposed to go off when someone opened the bag. DB explained that both bags had been rigged with similar devices, so no matter which one you had opened, it would have been the same. He did note that both bombs used the same interesting combination of shrapnel. Most people use nails or ball bearings, this bomber used thin metal shavings of steel and aluminum. 

Lastly, DB detailed how an anonymous packet had been dropped off to PD, the day after the explosion. In it were pictures of you clearly taken with a long-range lens. There were four pictures and a note. The pictures included one of you walking up to your front door with a bag over your shoulder, one of you at a grocery store laughing at someone/something out of frame, one of you walking out of the lab, and one of you and Nick holding hands walking at a park. The note was written in the same style as the previous ones and read: YOU GOT LUCKY BITCH. I’M STILL WATCHING YOU! I TOLD YOU TO BACK OFF! 

*****

Two days later you were medically cleared to go home. But you weren’t DB-cleared to return to  _ your  _ home. He had given you strict orders to stay with Nick and when you couldn’t be with him, you were to be with another member of the team. He did acquiesce and allow Sam to be considered part of the team, that way you didn’t have to be babysat while in your own lab...well your temporary lab, since yours was still under re-construction. Since Sam was technically a member of law enforcement you were allowed to bring him into the lab. 

Three days into your new bodyguard arrangement, you were working on creating a computer simulation for court, showing the various trajectories involved in one of Morgan’s cases. You had your headphones in, with your back turned to the door, just lost in your work, when suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder. Jumping you shrieked, causing Sam to jump up and start growling at the intruder. You had leapt to the very corner of your new lab space, putting Sam and the workbench between you and the intruder, you reached for the gun on your hip, only to remember that you were in your lab and your weapon was securely locked in your locker. Your hands shook violently as you raised your arms in front of you in a protective stance. You had pulled the bandages on your stomach, causing you to wince.

A very shocked Henry was standing with his arms up over his head, eyes wide going between your gun and Sam’s growling. Sara had been walking by, and came running in. She bent to soothe Sam, taking Henry’s hands and showing Sam that they were empty and not a threat. “Sûr,” she calmly commanded Sam, who instantly ran to your side to nuzzle his nose against your leg. 

Finally registering that the “intruder” was just Henry, you lowered your arms and bent to Sam, calming saying “Je vais bien…. Bon garçon.” You scratched the top of his head between his ears, your hand trembling. 

“Oh my god, Henry, I am so sorry,” you apologized, “I am so, so sorry.” You rushed to hug him, both to show him how sorry you were and to prove to Sam that Henry was a safe person. 

“It's okay. I should have known better than to sneak up on you like that,” he answered, eyes still wide, as he wrapped his arms around you and eyed Sam behind you. 

Stepping back, you added “and thank you Sara, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in. Thank you.” 

She leaned in to squeeze your arms, “it's all good, I get it. I’ve been jumpy after shit happened too. We’ve all been there, you’re good.” She nodded to you, gently.

That night (or technically morning, but it was after that shift), you were laying in bed with Nick, trying to fall asleep. You just couldn’t get your brain to shut off. You were trying not to disturb him with your tossing and turning, but you knew you had failed when you heard a sleepy “y/n….what’s wrong?

“I’m sorry Nick, I didn’t mean to wake you,” you whispered back. Trying to shift into a comfortable position, you just found yourself curled into another uncomfortable spot. 

“Iss okay, ’m here for you,” sleep making his speech slurred and gravelly, “what’s on your mind?”

Figuring it would just be best to talk to him, you sat up and leaned your back and head against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling. Mirroring you, Nick sat up and leaned against the headboard, the sheet falling to expose his bare chest. He ran a hand lazily over his head, scratching at a spot. You heard Sam shift on the floor beside the bed. 

“What’s goin’ on sweetheart? I can tell you’re wound up tight,” he turned his head to the side to look at your still-upturned face when you didn’t respond. He saw a tear roll down the side of your cheek. He immediately moved to pull you into his arms, maneuvering so that he sat leaning against the headboard, with you in his lap and your legs off to one side, being mindful of your bandages. He crossed his legs under the covers, so that you sunk into the spot he had created. He cradled you in his arms, holding you tight to his body, leaning your head into his shoulder, “oh baby….baby….talk to me, what’s got you hurtin’?” He gently slid one hand along your back, the other moving around to caress your cheek as your head lay cradled in his shoulder. 

Huffing out an apology, you started “I don’t know...I just feel overwhelmed, useless, I guess? I don’t know...I’m used to being strong, tough, and right now I don’t feel like any of those things. I freaked out on Henry today, gettin’ Sam all worked up over nothing. I can only concentrate on my work for like 30 minute time chunks before my mind is racing back to the explosion. Replaying it over and over again.” You took a deep breath to try and center yourself, “I just want to get this figured out so that life can go back to normal. I don’t understand what I’ve done to piss someone off so royally in just the few months that I’ve been here. Like seriously, what the fuck?” Your voice softened as you added, “I’m scared of losing you, of losing this. This thing has just brought up all of my old bullshit insecurities.” You shrugged your shoulders dramatically, before adding “I just want to have incredible sex with my new boyfriend, worry about making sure that Morgan doesn’t drink too much on girls nights and try to text Greg, and be able to go the grocery store without a freakin’ militia behind me!” You let out a huff of air. 

Nick just pulled you in closer, placing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. “I know sweetheart, I know. This whole thing sucks. You are still strong and tough and brave. You know we’ll figure this out, the whole team is workin’ on it nonstop. This  _ will  _ end. And as for your insecurities, battling those demons is never easy. Trust me, I’ve battled my fair share, been through a lot of therapy over the years. If you want to go back to therapy, you know I would support that one hundred percent.” He paused to kiss your head and gently stroke your cheek, “But please, more than anything else, please know and trust this….sweetheart, my angel I am not goin’ anywhere. You ain’t gonna lose me.” He placed more kisses on your head before chuckling, “and I’m always game for incredible sex with my smokin’ hot girlfriend.” 

You giggled, “hey cowboy, how do you always know what to say?” 

“It just comes naturally when I’m around you, I guess,” he answered softly. “Now come here and let me love you, will ya? You know I’m fallin’ for you.”

“I’m fallin’ for you too,” you responded softly. 

Nick maneuvered you so that you were straddling him, much like that first night you two had made out on the couch. Sighing into him, you let yourself be pulled down into his lap. He pressed his forehead against yours and just held you against his body. Some unspoken current passed between the two of you, you felt your heart rate sync with his, you could swear you almost felt your soul connecting to his. Without saying another word, he simply understood what you needed. 

Gently he pulled up the tank top you were wearing up and over your head. Pulling you close so that you were chest to chest, skin to skin. He sat with you just like this. Just feeling each other’s skin. After a few minutes, he rolled you over, sat up and slowly pulled down the black boyshorts you were wearing, reaching and pulling down his own black boxers. 

Tossing the discarded items to the floor at the foot of the bed, he moved you so that he was spooning you, wrapping his arms completely around you. You sighed deeply as you felt every inch of skin against yours. 

Tucked into Nick’s arms like that, you fell almost immediately back to sleep.


	6. Chapter Six

**CHAPTER SIX:**

The next morning you woke up actually feeling refreshed. The smell of coffee immediately hit your nose. Moaning, you rolled out of bed and grabbed Nick’s t-shirt off the floor and slid on your boyshorts. You walked out into the living room to the sight of Nick swaying in the kitchen (in just a pair of faded sweats) to some country song by Florida Georgia Line while Sam just sat and watched him with his head tilted. 

You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped your lips at the adorable sight in front of you. Turning, Nick saw you and grinned widely. 

“There she is, the angel of my life,” he sang as he walked over and swooped you into a dipped kiss. He hummed, “sweet like honey.” 

You laughed as he brought you back upright, “what’s gotten into you this morning cowboy?” 

“Hmm, somethin’ ‘bout wakin’ up next to a beautiful naked woman, in my bed, and knowing that she is all mine,” he answered with more accent than usual, giving you another long kiss. 

“All yours,” you answered, “and still fallin’ for you,” giving him a chaste peck on the cheek, “you picked up the paper yet?”

“Nope, not yet. Got distracted.” 

“Clearly,” you joked, as you walked to the front door. Opening it, you reached down to pick up the paper when you suddenly saw a manila envelope sitting on the front porch next to the paper. “Uh, Ni….Nick!” You hollered. 

“Yeah, baby, what’s wrong?” He knew by the tone of your voice that something was amiss. He quickly jogged over to the front door, pushing you behind him protectively. “What? What did you see sweetheart?” he asked, still scanning his front yard for anything out of the ordinary. 

“L...Loo…..Look down….” you stuttered from behind him, clutching his hips tightly. 

Glancing down, Nick immediately saw the envelope. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Sensing the sudden shift in both of your moods, Sam jumped up and ran to the front door. “Reste en arriére,” Nick commanded. Sam understood immediately, and instead turned his attention to you, nuzzling his nose into your thigh. Sitting by your feet. Your hands aimlessly scratched his ears. 

Nick slid his phone out of his pocket and called Russell, “Mornin’ DB, sorry to bug you on the weekend, but we got a problem,” He listened for a second, “no she’s fine. Everyone is fine. But we got another letter. This time it showed up at my house.” More listening, “yeah, okay. See you soon.” 

Soon DB and Katherine were at Nick’s house, processing the envelope. You had put leggings and a bra on, but kept Nick’s shirt on, along with his faded maroon Texas A&M crewneck sweatshirt, that you had basically commandeered after your first night together. Nick had slid on a white t-shirt. Katherine was laying out a roll of parchment paper over Nick’s island and was preparing to open the envelope. Reluctantly you stood up and walked over to stand by Nick, intertwining your fingers with his. He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. 

Carefully with gloved hands, Katherine sliced open the envelope and slid the contents out onto the parchment paper, catching any and all trace that may have been attached. It looked similar to the envelope that had been delivered to PD: pictures and a letter. 

DB carefully slid the pictures apart and separated them from the letter. You gasped as you looked at the pictures. These were different. These were more...personal. The first picture showed you and Nick lip locked in an intimate embrace in front of his house. The second picture had clearly been taken through the bedroom window as it showed both of you shirtless embracing each other. The third picture showed you and Nick holding hands, walking alongside Sam outside of the lab. And the fourth picture appeared to be a close up of you and Nick walking somewhere, but what made this picture unique was that the sender had X’d out your face with a black sharpie. The letter read: I TRIED TO GET RID OF HER FOR YOU. WHAT DO YOU EVEN SEE IN HER? WE ARE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER NICK. 

You stopped breathing, stumbling back a little. You were being stalked by one of Nick’s exes? A thousand questions swirled in your brain. Each more ridiculous than the last. 

Katherine was the first to break the uncomfortable silence, “So, it looks like this is more connected to you Nicky than to y/n. This handwriting look familiar to you?” 

He shook his head slowly, clearly still reeling from this information. “Its….its an ex of mine who’s stalking y/n and making fucking bombs?” His voice went from soft to angry by the end of his question. 

DB placed a calming hand on Nick’s shoulder, “okay, okay. Let’s hit pause. Nick, take a deep breath…” After making sure that Nick was calming down, he continued, “Katherine and I will get this over to the lab and get the weekend crew to start processing it.” Sensing an argument from Nick, DB raised his hand, and continued “I trust them, Nick. This is not a member of the family; this is an outsider. And I need our family rested and refreshed to be able to fully go after this guy...or gal in this case.” 

Nick nodded, “okay, yeah. I understand.” 

“Good,” DB turned to Katherine, “start packing up this evidence please.” She nodded and moved to start sliding things into evidence bags. As she slid one picture, something caught your eye.

“Wait, hold up,” you raised your hand towards Katherine. She looked over at you, questioning. “Look at the bottom of that picture,” you pointed, making sure you didn’t get too close. “It looks like a lip print or something.” 

Leaning down to get a closer look, Katherine broke out the magnifier from her kit. “Good eyes y/n. Yep there is something there. I will make a note about it and make sure that the lab analyzes it. Good catch.” 

“Okay, good. Now Nick,” DB said, turning to look at Nick, “you guys can’t stay here. When we thought the threat was against y/n, this was fine. But now….” Nick nodded. “Right, I’ll call Brass, get him working on a safe house for you two. So, get packed. Do not go doing something stupid. I will text you when I know something,” he said firmly to Nick.

Nick nodded again, sinking down in a dining room chair. You moved to stand next to him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

Soon enough, DB and Katherine were packing up their kits and heading out of the house. The quiet sanctuary of the morning had been broken. You knew there were things to do: you needed to get Nick packed, you needed to pack up your own things, and you needed to connect with Brass about whether Sam would be able to come to the safe house with you or not.

You sat down in the chair next to Nick, “come on baby, we gotta get moving.” You gently ran your hand along his shoulders, feeling the tension beneath your hands.

“I’m missing something,” he muttered. 

“Hey, we’ll figure this out, okay. I promise. What were you saying to me last night...the whole team is working on this. We  _ will  _ solve this. Okay?” 

He nodded slowly and reluctantly allowed you to stand him upright and lead him back to the bedroom to get packing.

Thirty minutes later, the two of you were fully packed and driving to the lab. Brass had suggested swapping vehicles before driving to the safe house, unsure if Nick’s truck had a tracking device in it. He assured Nick that he would have an officer search it just in case. And, it turned out that Sam  _ was _ allowed to come to the safe house.

After swapping to an unmarked vehicle, you, Sam, and Nick drove to the address Brass had given you. You could tell that Nick was tense, his hands almost white with the death grip he had on the steering wheel. He had been unnervingly quiet since you left his house. You didn’t know what to say to help him, so you resorted to calming physical reassurances as much as possible.

The three of you settled into the safe house and you texted Russell and Brass, letting them know that you had arrived. It was a small townhouse on the other side of town, with a kitchen/dining room, living room, and half-bath downstairs with two bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. Fortunately, there was a little fenced in yard out back for Sam. As you dropped your bags onto the bed, you looked over at Nick. He almost looked worse than he had at the hospital. Looking pale, with bags under his eyes, the tension on his face making him look older.

You walked around the bed and wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into your body. He dropped to his knees, pulling you to awkwardly sit on the edge of the bed with him on his knees between your spread legs. He wrapped his arms around you and dropped his head to your shoulder. You simply held him like that for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, you felt his chest shudder and his arms tightened their grip on you. Bringing one hand up to cup his head, you pulled his head further into your chest, keeping your hand cradling him. He held you tight as soft tears dampened the front of your sweatshirt.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, baby. I’m right here,” you gently cooed as you held him. He muffled something in response. Leaning back slightly, you asked, “hm?”

“It’s my fault that you were blown up. You could’ve died because of me. All of this is because of me,” he spoke softly against your chest.

Pulling him back to look him in the eyes, your heart broke at the sight. His beautiful brown eyes were rimmed red and bloodshot, his charming dimples nowhere to be found, instead blotches of red covered his handsome face.

“No. Don’t say things like that. None of this is your fault,” you said firmly to him, trying to make sure he kept eye contact with you. “No. This is because there is some crazy chick out there who can’t move on. This is not your fault. Don’t you think that for a minute, Nick Stokes.” You held his face in your hands, looking him square in the eyes, “This. Is. Not. Your. Fault.”

He gave you a slight nod, sniffling slightly, and closing his eyes. Once again you pulled him into your body. He sighed deeply against you. Minutes later you realized what you could do to help.

You slowly stood up and disentangled yourself from his grasp and took a step away from him. Very slowly you stripped out of your sweatshirt, shirt, and leggings. You pulled his t-shirt over his head and pushed his sweats down his legs. Once both of you were naked, you wordlessly pulled him towards the bathroom, and turned on the shower. 

Gently kissing his chest and caressing his back, you waited for the water to heat up. Once it was hot enough, you pulled him in with you. Pushing him to stand under the spray, you curled your body into his allowing his arms to wrap around your back. The two of you just stood there, under the warm spray of the shower, embracing each other while you whispered sweet nothings to him. 

After a while, Nick’s hands started to wander further down your back and over the curve of your ass. Beginning to grope and massage the flesh. Leaning closer to him, placing a kiss on his chest, you felt something hard nudge your hip. Pulling back slightly, so that you could look up at him without the water hitting you in the face, your eyes widened at the look in Nick’s eyes. He was looking down at you with a fierce combination of lust and love that made your heart melt and thighs clench. Slowly he brought his face to yours, pressing his lips against yours with strong determination. 

“Nick,” you moaned against his lips. 

“Yeah, y/n,” he whispered back, gently nudging your nose with his nose. You giggled softly, not wanting to break the quiet ambiance the two of you had created. 

Without a word, he reached back and turned off the water. Swapping kisses and gentle gropes you tried to dry yourselves off. He gently peeled off your now-wet bandages, reverently assessing each mark on your body, until he was satisfied they didn’t need to be covered again. Quickly retrieving supplies from the bedroom, he redressed the two wounds that were still needing to be covered, placing soft kisses across your stomach, chest, and arms. Eventually, the two of you were able to make it into the bedroom still wrapped in your towels.

He pulled you flush against him and unwrapped the towel from your body. With one hand holding you close to him; he unwrapped his towel with the other. Now bare to each other, skin to skin, he whispered “I’m fallin’ for you, fallin’ hard sweetheart.”

You couldn’t have stopped the grin that spread across your face, even if you wanted to, “I’m fallin’ for you too cowboy, hard.”

Nick scooped you up into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist and walked to the edge of the bed. Just as that first night, he pulled off the comforter and tossed it to the ground. Instead of tossing you on the bed, however, he gently laid you down, keeping you beneath him.

You brought one hand from around his neck to caress the stubble on his cheek and run your fingernails along his jaw line. He momentarily closed his eyes, still holding himself above you.

“What do you need?” you quietly whispered.

A barely-there smile formed on his lips, as he opened his now hooded eyes. “You,” he quietly answered.

“I’m here,” you whispered, “what do you need?”

He bumped his nose against yours, closing his eyes and humming in thought for a moment. When his eyes softly opened, still hooded, he answered, “just you, here with me.” You understood the unspoken plea in his eyes; understood what he needed.

Gently moving your hips, you rolled him over so that you could straddle him. You leaned down, softly kissing him as his hands slid to your thighs. You sat up, placing your hands on his chest and looking him in the eyes, “I’m right here Nick. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

With that, you leaned down to kiss him again. This time, you poured all the passion you had into the kiss, gently swiping your tongue against the seam of his lips. With a moan he opened his lips to you, running his hands along the soft skin of your thighs. You swirled your tongue around his mouth, memorizing his every reaction as he let you dominate the kiss. Shifting your hips, you slid your soaking core along his length.

He bucked his hips up against you, as he let out a sudden gasp, effectively breaking the kiss. “Damn sweetheart, you’re already so wet for me,” he whispered, awestruck. You slid your core along him again, moaning his name in response.

Removing one hand from your thigh, he slid it between your bodies, gripping his cock. He looked up at you, a silent question asked. You nodded; a silent question answered. With one hand gripping his cock and the other gripping your hip, he guided himself to your entrance. Slightly rising up, you allowed your core to catch on his length, moaning an expletive. You sank down, taking the first inch of his length into your cunt.

Both of you groaned at the connection; his hands sliding to grip your hips. Somewhere along the way, Nick’s eyes had closed. Opening them now, he was unprepared for the view that greeted him. Your arms were straight against his chest, palms flat on his pecs, holding yourself up. Your head was thrown back, neck stretched. Nick’s eyes traced the lines of your neck, sliding down your throat to your chest. He unexpectedly bucked his hips up, sliding himself into you another inch unintentionally with the sight of your breasts bouncing with your every breath. You let out a loud moan as your cunt fluttered and stretched around him. It was his turn to moan loudly as he took in the way your breasts shimmered with a light sheen of sweat; the way your nipples were drawn taught into pebbled buds, “oh…y/n, fuck….fuckin’ goddess…” You whimpered in response, as you looked down at him, sinking down further onto him. He moaned, “oh god…yes angel...you’re doin’ so good…takin’ me so well baby…so good.”

He brought his thumb up to make gentle circles over your clit, careful not to apply too much pressure…not yet at least. “Oh! Yes…yes…Nick…” you rasped out, finally sinking completely on to him.

As soon as he felt the backs of your thighs come flush with his hips, Nick thrust his hips up, filling you completely. You gasped a “yes” at the feeling of being so filled by him. He brought one hand up to caress your breast and toy with your nipple. You slid your hands up to his shoulders and started to roll your hips.

Nick’s hands immediately dropped to the bed as he gripped the sheet so tight you thought it was going to rip. He turned his head to gently bite your wrist as it sat against his shoulder, “oh fuck….” he breathed out harshly against your skin.

As you continued to gently roll your hips, you could feel your body beginning to relax and accommodate Nick’s size even more. Allowing you to change up your pace or add a slight swivel to each roll.

Nick had released his teeth from your wrist and was now clenching them tightly as his hands gripped your hips so tightly so knew there would be slight bruises later. You clenched at the thought of having finger-shaped bruises on your hips. Feeling your walls tighten Nick growled.

You began to increase the pace, rolling your hips harder and faster; feeling every inch of Nick slide along your walls on each roll. Reminding you, again, of just how big he was. He began bucking up into you, meeting your rolls with equally enthusiastic thrusts.

“Oh god…y/n…’m close baby,” he groaned, turning slightly to playfully lick at the inside of your wrist. 

“Yea, yes…’m too…fuck….need,” you moaned breathlessly. He understood what you needed, bringing his thumb back to your clit and rubbing harsh, tight circles on the bud. With that additional pressure, a moan escaped your lips that would have made a pornstar blush.

One, two, three more rolls of your hips had you seeing white as your climax burst explosively through your system. Electricity sparked through every nerve in your body. You felt your toes curl with the force of your orgasm. Your fingernails scratched down the front of Nick’s pecs. Forcing your eyes open, you glanced down in time to watch Nick go tumbling into his release. He pulled your hips tightly to him, pushing himself as deep into you as possible. His head was thrown back into the pillows, eyes closed tight, as he growled your name deep from his chest.

For a moment, neither of you moved. Honestly, you weren’t sure if you  _ could _ move. Every muscle in your body felt utterly depleted. You unceremoniously dropped down onto Nick’s chest, trying to catch your breath against the smattering of dark hair across his chest. He softly groaned, as the shift in your position changed the angle of his cock inside of you. Once he was able to regain control of his arms, he brought his hands up to your back, holding you tightly to him.

“Wow,” you softly chuckled, warm breath fanning his slightly sweaty chest.

“Damn,” he murmured, sounding equally dazed, “thank you baby.” You responded by kissing his chest.

You continued to lay there, completely intertwined in every way for a few more minutes. You still felt slightly stretched, even as he grew soft inside of you. Your mind wandered as you lay there; thinking of all the ways you were rapidly falling head over heels in love with Nick. From his dimpled grin to those soulful brown eyes; the strength in his shoulders to his soft stomach that just makes you want to run your tongue over it every time you glimpse it; the sexy southern accent; the kind soul who never hesitated to do the right thing or help someone; or his fierce protectiveness that he has for all the people he cares about. Really, there were hundreds of reasons, but one conclusion: you were falling…no, you had fallen in love with Nick Stokes.


	7. Chapter Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

The next day, DB had asked you and Nick to come into the office and review the evidence. You walked into the layout room with Sam close by your legs; the team was all there, even though it was a Sunday. Embarrassment flooded you as you looked around at the pictures of you that were pinned up on the board. Noticing your reaction, Morgan moved to stand by you, taking your hand in hers and gently squeezing. Next your eyes took in the pictures from the explosion in your lab. As much as you wanted to see them, you couldn’t. You quickly averted your eyes; you weren’t ready to see those pictures just yet.

Russell started reviewing what was known, going over the letters (from your house, your car, the one left at PD, and the one left at Nick’s house). Greg reported on his conversation with the patrolman who had unwittingly played a role in placing the letter on your car, as he pinned a sketch from the description the patrolman had given to the board. Next DB reviewed the evidence from the explosion: the footage of the unknown female assailant, the shards of the bomb that survived, and Hodges’ chemical analysis of the odd shrapnel used in the bombs. Then, Katherine reviewed the analysis of the lip smear that you had caught on the pictures from Nick’s house. Sara and Morgan spoke up, offering updates from their interviews with the receptionist (who had unknowingly received the bomb) and other people who had been seen in the lobby around the same time. 

As a lull fell in the conversation, Katherine glanced over at Nick, “looks like your wheels are turning, Nicky. What do you see?”

“I’m not sure yet, but there is something familiar about some of these details. I just don’t know what it means yet,” he answered. Sensing his increased distress, Sam nudged his leg with his nose in comfort. Absentmindedly, he reached down to scratch Sam’s head.

Greg jumped in, “Ok, maybe that’s good. Let’s pull out the details that feel familiar and focus on those?”

“Good idea, Greg,” Kathrine responded, “Okay, Greg and Sara you two stay here with Nick and compile all familiar aspects of this case.” She turned to you, “Y/n, if you are up for it, I’d like for you and Morgan to take a look at those bomb fragments, try to find some kind of signature or something unique. You up for that?” You nodded. “Great, and I’m going to go review the security footage from the secure employee lot.”

DB spoke up, “I’ll head over to PD to catch Brass and see what his canvases have turned up.”

You and Morgan had been pouring over the bomb fragments for the past 2 hours but hadn’t been able to come up with any sort of signature. The only thing of any remote interest was that you two had discovered that all the materials were most likely purchased from a Home Depot.

You sat up and arched your back, “ugh, this chick is so frustrating.”

Morgan looked over at you, nodding, “we’ll figure this out.” She reached over with her gloved hand and squeezed the top of your gloved hand. “I mean, look we already figured out that she bought all this stuff from the same place. And I’m sure everyone else is discovering useful tidbits too.”

You had to admire Morgan’s optimism; you smiled over at her and nodded. Suddenly your phone buzzed in your pocket.

**DB: Family Meeting, layout**

You and Morgan looked at each other. Hopefully this meant good news. The two of you eagerly packed up and stored all the bomb fragment evidence.

Fifteen minutes later, the team was all back in layout.

“Okay guys give me some updates,” DB started, glancing around the room and clapping his hands together.

Katherine stepped up and inserted a flash drive into the computer in the corner of the office, “well, I found something interesting on the footage from the employee lot.” She clicked a few things as the pulldown screen filled with slightly grainy security footage showing the gated entrance to the employee parking lot. She fast-forwarded to the right time. The team watched as a blonde woman, dressed in jeans and a black tank top loitered around the gate. She was holding a folded piece of paper in her hands. She was holding it with her bare hands, but you already knew that. There were unknown prints on all the letters. The video continued, as a patrol car was pulling up to the gate to enter, the officer rolled down the window and spoke with the woman, eventually she handed him the piece of paper and walked away. Katherine paused the video.

“Can you get a better shot of her face?” Greg asked.

“Unfortunately, no. There weren’t any better shots of her face on this video. But that doesn’t mean I struck out. I went through other footage from around the building from the same time period, and that’s where I found it,” Katherine pointed triumphantly to the screen. She pulled up another video that looked like it was from the civilian parking lot along the street, in front of the lab. This video showed the same blonde woman walking down the sidewalk in clear view of the camera. Katherine turned to the group and raised her eyebrows triumphantly, as though to say “see, what did I tell you.”

“Good thinking and good find, Katherine,” DB praised.

“Thank you,” she answered, “I pulled a still of her face and a still of the car she got into.”

“Great work,” replied DB, “okay, who’s next?”

“Y/n and I were able to determine that all the materials to build the bomb were purchased at a Home Depot. There were readable bar codes on many of the fragments; we did a database search and found that most, probably all the parts were purchased from a Home Depot,” Morgan gave the report from the work you and she had compiled.

“Interesting. Good find ladies,” DB responded, “any kind of signature?

You shook your head, “unfortunately not.”

“Okay, still interesting. Greg, Sara, Nick, before you help piece this all together, I’ll share what I found out from Brass,” DB said. “He didn’t have much to add, unfortunately. But there was one interesting piece of information, that became a lot more interesting when combined with what Morgan and y/n found. Brass said that one of y/n’s neighbors had seen a contractor’s truck parked outside of her house a couple of times, in the days before the explosion at the lab.”

Nick spoke up, “what was the shrapnel made of again?”

“Umm, looks like metal shavings. Steel and aluminum shavings,” answered Sara, reading from the lab report.

“Katherine, pull up that still of her face again, would you?” Nick asked. The zoomed-in still of the unknown woman filled the screen. “Okay, and Greg, would you hand me that composite sketch from the patrolman?”

“Sure, here you go,” Greg answered, sliding the drawing over towards Nick, “what are you seeing?

Nick started trying to put the pieces together, “Okay, so we have crazy possessiveness…metal shavings… contractors vehicles…and that face….I know that face from somewhere….”

As Nick was thinking, Henry walked into layout. “Hey guys, I just finished the analysis on that smear from the bottom of that one picture.” He handed the analysis printout to Katherine, “it looks like it was a weird combination of rose water, pink coloring, and”

“Peppermint!” Nick shouted.

“Uh, yeah. But how did you know that?” asked Henry.

“Shit, guys I know who it is,” Nick answered, “but she wasn’t blond when I knew her, and I wouldn’t really consider her an ex-girlfriend.”

Everyone looked at Nick, stunned into silence.

Russell recovered first, “who is she Nick?”

“Her name is Rebecca Forman,” Nick answered, “I haven’t seen her in years, I knew her in Dallas. I didn’t even know she was living in Vegas. She was one of the assistant DA’s; I met her through my folks. I had a couple of joint cases with her when I was working in the Dallas PD lab. We were never together; we had drinks a couple of times, but it was never serious…well it wasn’t for me anyways.”

DB was instantly on the phone with Brass, “We got a name for you, Rebecca Forman. Connected to Dallas PD, used to be an ADA out there,” he paused to listen, “okay, you keep me posted,” more listening, “thanks.”

Everyone looked at Nick. Finally, Sara broke the silence, “Nick, how did you put it together?”

Taking a deep breath, Nick slowly wrung his hands and he started to explain. “Like I said, there was something familiar about the composite from the patrolman. Then, I just couldn’t shake this nagging feeling that the odd shrapnel was somehow familiar. When DB mentioned a contractor’s truck, the pieces started to come together. Honestly, it wasn’t until Henry mentioned the rose water that it all came crashing together.” He started sliding the various lab reports around on the layout table, before continuing. “Back in Dallas, I remembered that this ADA who worked with my folks had a step-dad who worked as a contractor. He did a couple of things for my dad one summer. He specialized in fabrication…metal fabrication. Lastly, it was the rose water piece that made things really slam into place. I remembered that the couple times I went out to drinks with that same ADA, Rebecca, she would always put on this weird homemade lip gloss stuff before leaving. I remember asking her about it once, and she said that it was her own creation, made from rose water, coloring, and peppermint.”

Nick glanced around the room at the faces of his teammates, “she was a redhead back then. I’m sorry guys, I should have figured it out sooner.”

It was Kathrine who spoke first, “Oh no you don’t, Nicky. You solved it! You put the pieces together! Nicky you solved the case!” She walked over the pulled Nick into a tight embrace.

“Yeah, seriously good job, man. That was a lot of weird piece to pull together, but you did it,” Greg seconded, clapping Nick on the back.

More sentiments of praise came from around the room, as the team slowly began packaging up the evidence to be sent over to PD. You looked over at Nick and smiled, giving him a soft wink.

*****

Six hours later, you and Nick had been sitting in the living room of the safe house when you got a text from DB.

**DB: Brass found LKA for Forman, has officers checking it now**

**You: thanks DB, hopefully she will be detained soon**

**DB: yea, I’ll keep you posted**

**You: thanks**

*****

Three hours after that, you and Nick were trying to get some sleep, but both of you were too wound up. You ended up sitting in bed, talking about the case. Nick’s phone buzzed.

**Russell: She’s been detained**

**Nick: Good news, it go smooth?**

**Russell: yes and no, she tried to stab one of the officers but it caught his vest**

**Nick: damn, everyone ok?**

**Russell: yea, everyone is ok. Brass is interviewing her now. Do you want to watch?**

**Nick: umm….I don’t think so. I think I’d rather spend my evening with y/n**

**Russell: ok. By the way, I have the bomb squad sweeping your truck, your house, and y/n’s house**

**Nick: thanks man**

Nick leaned over to you and whispered “Hey, they got her. Brass is interviewing her now. It’s over. It’s finally done,” he breathed out a deep sigh. “I don’t really wanna go watch. I think I’d rather stay right here with you.” He nuzzled his face closer to yours, “I’m fallin’ for you.”

You wrapped your arms around him and whispered back “I’m fallin’ for you too.”

*****

Across town at PD, Brass sat across the interview table from the blond woman from the security footage.

“Why am I here?” The woman sassed at Brass.

“You tell me,” he responded cooly, “you tried to stab one of my officers.

“I didn’t know he was an officer,” she snapped.

“He was wearing a uniform. But anyways, that’s not why you’re here,” Brass said, “you are here because you were stalking a good friend of mine and tried to blow up another one of my friends. That’s why you’re here, Rebecca.” He saw her eyes flare at the use of her name, “oh yeah, I know your name. I know a lot of things about you. Like for starters, you aren’t really a blond. Take off the wig Miss Forman.” She pulled off the wig, letting her red hair fall to her shoulders. “See isn’t that better, now we can have an honest conversation.”

“Where is Nick? I need to see him. Does he know that you have me in this cage?” Rebecca asked accusingly.

“Oh, he’s not here. And yeah, I’m pretty sure that he knows you are in here. Seeing how he’s the one who put together the pieces and put you in that chair.”

“You’re lying. Nick loves me.”

“Really? Oh okay, if he loves you so much, why were you stalking him?” Brass asked, his patience already growing thin.

“I’m not stalking anybody. Nick and me have a very close bond, he loves me. He just got temporarily distracted by  _ her _ ,” Rebecca spat. “You see, we’re gonna get married. Me and Nick. I just had to get rid of that  _ distraction _ and remind him of our love. But you’ll see, once she’s out of the way, we’ll get married, you’ll see.”

“You know what Rebecca? I’m going to ask you this just once, just how did you plan on getting rid of that distraction?” Brass asked, trying to hold on to the last bit of his patience.

“Oh  _ her? _ Well, at first, I tried to just scare her off, left a couple of notes. But that bitch didn’t take the hint. She just continued on, gallivanting around town with my man. The nerve! So then, then I read on the internet on how to make pipe bombs. I figured if she wouldn’t back off my man, I would end her. Or disfigure her so much that he wouldn’t want what was left of her. But again, that skank slithered right out of it.”

Before Rebecca could continue, Brass held up his hand, “okay, I’ve heard enough. You’re done. Miss Forman you are going away for a really long time. Attempted murder of a member of law enforcement carries a pretty hefty sentence.”

*****

One week later, the construction was finally done in your lab and you were able to return to it. You thought it might be triggering, but it felt more comforting than anything else. The lab was where you felt most comfortable; it was where you could be in control. It felt like the first step of life settling again. You knew Rebecca was behind bars, the threat was gone. Life could go back to normal. You breathed out a deep sigh, smiling contentedly, looking around at the newly repaired walls of your lab. Yeah, everything was going to be okay; you could feel it.

You pulled your headphones from your pocket, getting ready to start analyzing shell casings from a recent shooting at Caesar’s. Glancing down at your phone, you saw a message from Nick.

**Nick: hey sweetheart, hope the first day back in your lab feels good. Let’s grab breakfast after shift**

You smiled. You were so grateful to have him in your life. With everything that had happened over the past few weeks, he had been your constant, your rock. He said that the same had been true for him, you had been there for him, never second guessing the relationship or him. It now felt comfortable to acknowledge that you were in love with Nick. Sighing softly, you responded before switching on your music and putting your phone back in your pocket and getting to work.

**You: thanks cowboy, see you for breakfast <3**


	8. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

One year later. Katherine had left the lab but would always be part of the family. Finn had joined the lab and the family.

“So, any big plans for your anniversary next weekend?” Sara asked, pulling her jacket out of her locker.

“Not that I know of yet,” you laughed, pulling on your own jacket, “but you know Nick, always a romantic. I’m sure he’s got something up his sleeve.”

“Hey ladies, anyone up for pancakes?” Greg poked his head around the corner of the lockers.

“Always!” “Yeah!” You and Sara answered.

You sat at Frankie’s with Sara and Morgan watching Greg dive into his pancakes with the enthusiasm of a child. You tipped your head back laughing, catching Morgan’s eye, softly gesturing over to Greg with your eyebrows. Her eyes grew wide and she slightly shook her head. You laughed more, a gentle smirk gracing your features.

As you were partway through your omelette, you heard the front doorbell chime as someone walked in.

“There he is! We were beginning to worry you wouldn’t come, man!” Greg shouted, as Nick walked up to your table.

He leaned down to give you a chaste kiss on the lips. Sounds of gagging from the others made you giggle slightly. You scooted over in the booth, to give him space to join you.

“So, Nicky, y/n says you haven’t informed her of any romantic plans for your upcoming anniversary,” Sara asked in a conspiratorial tone.

Nick feigned a look of shock, “What? Is that comin’ up? Shit! When?” He placed his hand on his chest, pretending to be shocked by that information.

“Oh you, stop! You aren’t fooling anybody. We know you are just a big softy, so come on. What do you got planned?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah, Nick. What do you got planned?” You asked, leaning into him.

“Okay, yeah. Well, I got somethin’ good planned. It  _ is _ romantic. It  _ is _ goin’ to be nice. And it  _ is _ a secret,” Nick answered, sliding his hand on your thigh and giving it a squeeze. He leaned in to whisper in your ear, “but I think you’re gonna enjoy it.” You tried to hide the shiver that ran down your spine. Judging by the smirk on his face, Nick definitely caught it.

A week and a half later, you still only knew a partial plan for the anniversary weekend, even though it was only 2 days away. So far, all you could get out of him was that you guys were going to be staying a couple of nights at a hotel on the strip and that there was going to be a nice dinner. You had been gently pestering Nick to tell you more, but he would just smirk and shake his head; usually distracting you with a kiss. 

The two of you sat at breakfast after shift on Thursday morning. You brought Nick to this new spot you had found that made these crazy-specialty breakfast burritos.

“I figure it’s probably time to tell you about the plans for this weekend, huh?” Nick asked, picking at some diced potatoes on his plate, grinning at you.

“I mean, tomorrow is Friday,” you giggled in response. You were eager to learn more about your mysterious anniversary weekend plans. 

“Okay, well you aren’t going to get too many more details. I like surprising you, angel.” Nick gently ran the back of his hand along your cheek.

You nodded, wide-eyed, “I like when you surprise me.” The innocence in your voice threw him for a second. He tried really hard not to have a reaction that would be  _ uncomfortable _ in public at 7:30am.

He cleared his throat, “I know you do sweetheart. I know. So, here’s what you get to know. Tonight, when you go into work, bring a packed bag. We are leaving straight from work.” You nodded. “Okay, now for what to put in that bag. You’re gonna need a nice dress, fairly formal, two days of comfy, hanging out clothes, and shoes that you can walk in.”

You processed that information, “okay. A nice dress, two days of clothes and comfy shoes.” He nodded and kissed your cheek.

*****

That night, as you tossed your overnight bag into Nick’s truck, you noticed two suitcases in the back.

“I think you may have overpacked a little,” you teased.

“One bag is my clothes; the other is bedding,” he answered, “I’ve worked too many scenes in hotels, I know what’s in and on those sheets. No thank you ma’am, I ain’t doin’ that. I will bring my own.” You couldn’t help but laugh.

You could hardly concentrate throughout your shift, it vaguely reminded you of how you felt the day that Nick had asked you for drinks. The end of the day could not come soon enough. You spent most of the day working on trajectory simulations with Finn. The evidence was just…weird and didn’t seem to make any sort of sense. She was working with you in the hopes that you could help her make sense of the seemingly strange trajectories involved.

Eventually you found yourself walking towards the lockers. Morgan fell into step beside you, bumping your shoulder slightly with hers.

“You excited?” She asked, with an adorable look of glee on her face.

“Yeah, a little nervous. Oddly enough. But, yes, excited,” you answered.

“I bet you two are going to have so much fun. I can’t wait to hear all about it on Monday,” she squealed, as the two of you rounded the corner into the lockers, “well…wait, not  _ all _ about it. You know what I mean.”

You just laughed as you grabbed your purse and jacket. Before you could close your locker, something caught your eye inside. Leaning closer, you found a piece of paper folded into a football at the bottom of your locker. Picking it up, you held it up to Morgan with a questioning look. She just shrugged.

Unfolding the paper football, you saw the easily identifiable handwriting of Nick Stokes. The handwritten note said:

Angel,

I can’t wait to spend this weekend showing you how much I’ve been falling for you over this past year.

Xo, your cowboy

You held the note against your heart and gave Morgan the sappiest look.

“You two are like seriously, disgustingly cute. It’s both gross and endearing,” she said.

You pulled out your phone to text Nick.

**You: hey cowboy, just found the note in my locker, you sap. I love you!**

**Nick: hey gorgeous, good, I love you too**

**You: I’m all wrapped up, where do you want me to meet you?**

**Nick: I’m just heading to the lockers now**

**You: see you soon**

You waved to Morgan as she headed home. And soon Nick was rounding the corner into the lockers. Wordlessly he pulled you up into a kiss. “You ready?” he murmured against your lips. You nodded.

Nick had made hotel reservations at the Paris hotel, he parked the truck in the underground parking garage, and the two of you made your way up to your room. Sure enough, the first thing Nick did was strip the hotel bedding and replace it the ones that he had brought. You giggled at him, then smiled as his thoughtfulness.

It had been a long week and no matter how excited you were to be celebrating your anniversary with Nick, the exhaustion was a more powerful pull. However, Nick had expected that and had built it in to his weekend agenda. The two of you showered, changed, and fell into a deep sleep.

An alarm woke you. Rolling over, you saw Nick reach for his phone to silence the alarm. “G’mornin’ beautiful,” he said, leaning over to kiss your forehead.

“What time is it?” you asked sleepily.

“Six,” he answered, “I wanted to make sure that we got plenty of sleep. Because you are gonna need your energy sweetheart.” He winked at you. Heat filled your body at the smirk he gave you. “Plus, we have dinner reservations at eight, and I wanted to give you plenty of time to get ready. Even though, we both know that you could go to dinner just looking like this and I would still think you are the most beautiful woman in the room.”

You rolled on to your back, sighing, “you really are quite the charmer Nick, aren’t you?”

He laughed and leaned to kiss and gently nip at the skin that had become exposed by your shirt riding up.

One hour and forty-five minutes later, the two of you were almost ready to go. You had asked Nick to shower and change first, so that your dress would be a surprise to him. Sliding on the red dress, zipping up the back, and sliding on your red heels, you could feel your nerves spike, hoping that Nick would like it. But you knew you looked good; you knew he would love it.

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door from the bathroom and stepped out into the room.

A whistle, then a low, “holy shit,” instantly rewarded you. Looking up at Nick, you saw his jaw had actually dropped. You spun around for him, letting him appreciate every angle of the dress.

“Holy shit, y/n. You look gorgeous baby,” he rasped, walking up to place his hands on your waist.

The dress was actually fairly simple. But you had learned long ago, that with your curves, you could make a simply cut dress into something more.

It was a deep red, thin-strapped, floor-length dress. The neckline plunged deeply with a gentle gathering of fabric at the bottom of the vee, accentuating your cleavage. You had the waistline custom hemmed, so that it tightly hugged every curve on your body. Lastly, a high slit started 8 inches above your left knee. You paired it with red heels, the heart necklace that Nick had given you for Christmas, and a pair of simple diamond earrings. You had pulled your hair up halfway, with delicate braids creating a crown along the back of your head, gently curling the portion that was down into soft beach waves.

You shamelessly looked Nick up and down.  _ Damn, he cleans up nice _ . He was wearing black dress shoes, a dark grey suit with the jacket open, a 3-button vest, and a white button down left open at the top. That patch of exposed skin where his shirt was doing things to you. He looked  _ good _ .

Nick’s hands began to wander as his eyes hungrily drank you in. Beginning to feel his hands become a little  _ too _ adventurous, you gently placed your hands on his shoulders and said, “Nick, sweetheart, I thought we had dinner reservations. Don’t start something that you can’t finish.”

He chuckled and leaned to whisper in your ear, “oh, but baby I do intend on finishing it.” You didn’t even try to hide the shiver that ran down your spine and shot straight to your core. He caught the shiver and gave you one of his dimpled, charming smirks that made your core clench every time.

Nick had made reservations at the steak house inside of the Paris, apparently he knew the maître’ d from a case he worked a few years ago. As a result of that connection, you were now seated in the VIP section of the very exclusive steak house and your meal was comp’ed. 

Dinner was incredible, as you two shared a bottle of wine and ate delicious steaks. You ate, drank, laughed, and forgot that the rest of the world existed. Nick had placed his suit jacket on the back of his chair, so he was just in his vest and open-collared white button down. Your shawl was also draped over the back of your chair.

After he ordered dessert for the two of you, he reached around to pull something out of his suit jacket. Turning back towards you, he kept one hand under the table holding whatever he had pulled from his jacket pocket. With the hand that was above the table, Nick reached out to hold your hand. His thumb gently stroking your skin. His eyes looking lovingly into yours.

He took a deep, somewhat shaky breath. “I love you so much y/n. This past year has been an incredible adventure. Meeting you has been an incredible adventure. Honestly, I never thought I would meet someone like you. You came into the lab and just stole my heart and you’ve been stealin’ it every day since. I am blown away, every day by your absolute beauty. Yes, you are absolutely stunning on the outside,” he gave your hand a squeeze, “but you are just as stunning on the inside too. There is a light and an authenticity in you that just makes me want to be a better man,” he choked up for a second, lowering his head briefly to his chest. “Listen to me, ramblin’ like an idiot,” he cleared his throat. “Y/n, I’ve been fallin’ in love with you from the moment I saw you. And then every moment after that. I’ve been fallin’ for you for over a year now, each and every day. I’m ready to land in your arms for good.”

Nick slid out of his chair and on to one knee by the table. He lifted the ring box he had pulled from his jacket, opening it to you. You gasped and brought the hand that he wasn’t holding to your mouth. “Nick,” you breathed out softly.

“Y/n, my angel. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life fallin’ more and more in love with you. Will you make me the happiest man alive by marryin’ me?”

“Yes!” You gasped, nodding, trying (and failing) to hold back the tears in your eyes. You reached for him, still nodding.

Nick slid the ring on to your finger then stood up into your embrace. Vaguely you could hear claps and cheers from the other patrons, but honestly, all you had ears for were the words coming out of Nick’s lips as they were pressed tightly against your ear.

“Oh sweetheart, I love you so much! You are my everything, and I just can’t wait to make you mine forever,” he choked out in a whisper.

You choked out a whisper in response, “Nick, yes, yes. I love you with everything I have. I want to be yours for the rest of my life.”

*****

Nick’s hand drifted down to your ass during the elevator ride back up to your floor after the two of you had finished dinner. Under normal circumstances you would have chided him for being so handsy in public, but tonight you really couldn’t find it in yourself to care. You pulled him in for a kiss by the collar of that damn opened button-down shirt. Not expecting your response, he groaned a surprise into the kiss.

He fumbled with the keycard, trying to open the door to your room and make out with you at the same time. Giggling you gave him some reprieve by breaking the kiss enough so that he could open the door. Once inside, Nick haphazardly tossed his suit jacket on a chair with one hand, not wanting to let go of you with the other. He pulled you tight against his chest, sliding his tongue against yours in a heated dance of dominance. While kissing him, you grabbed hold of his hand, guiding it down your waist, down your ass (he gave a firm squeeze), and over to the slit in your dress. You guided his hand up the slit, higher and higher his hand slid up your thigh, pulling the fabric of your dress with his wrist. Finally, you slid his hand to rest at the crease of your hip. You felt the moment he registered your actions. His body stiffened and his grip on your hip tightened as he realized that you hadn’t been wearing underwear beneath your dress.

He groaned, pulling away from your lips, “you’re gonna be the death of me. You been like this all night?” You caught your bottom lip in your teeth and nodded innocently. “Oh angel,” he groaned again. The brown in his eyes, all but gone, as his pupils dilated to almost complete black.

Turning him, you gently pushed him so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. You took a step back while he tried to chase you with his arms. He looked up at you questioningly.

“I have a surprise for you,” you teased, “but you have to give me a second.”

“Yeah, okay,” he rasped out, nodding.

You quickly removed your heels and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door behind you. Quickly taking off your dress, you reached into your suitcase to pull out the special lingerie you had purchased for this weekend. You just hadn’t known just how special they would be.

You slid on the lingerie, checking yourself in the mirror before opening the door.

Watching you walk out of the bathroom, Nick thought he was going to faint. All the blood in his body had instantly raced to his cock at the sight of you. You were an absolute vision, a true angel. Dressed in all white, you exuded both innocence and sexuality. You were wearing a sheer, white, lacy baby doll set; it had been hemmed to fit tight against your waist. The lace scalloped edge of the skirt barely covered the tops of your thighs. Lace covered cups pressed your breasts up to form a deep valley of cleavage that Nick was struggling not to run his tongue over as you approached him.

“Damn, y/n, I think this is the second heart attack you’ve given me tonight,” Nick croaked out, his mouth suddenly feeling too dry.

You chuckled and spun around, showing him the lacy boyshorts under the skirt. You noticed he had pulled the comforter off the bed and tossed it on a nearby chair. Turning back to face him, you saw that he had taken off his shoes, vest, slacks, and button down, leaving him in nothing but tight black boxers that did nothing to hide his painfully hard erection.

You walked over to him, intending to meet him on the bed, but he had other plans. Nick jumped off the bed and wrapped his arms around you, running his hands over every inch of your exposed and covered body. He left open mouthed kisses across the tops of your breasts and up your neck. You felt yourself swoon at his ministrations, fortunately he caught you and picked you up. Walking back to the bed, he tossed you gently against the pillows.

He crawled over you, very much the predator assessing its prey. Dropping his lips to yours, he dominated your mouth with his. Just when you thought you would pass out from lack of oxygen, he moved his mouth along your jaw, placing open-mouthed kisses. You gasped, bringing your hands to the back of his head and his back. You slid one hand down his back, feeling the planes of muscle flex beneath your palm. Nick started moving his mouth down your neck, placing gentle bites and open-mouthed kisses, causing you to moan against him. Slowly, he dragged his lips down your neck, along your collarbone and to the tops of your breasts, pressed up in a breathtaking presentation just for him. He ghosted his lips down the front of the gown, down your stomach, until he reached the bottom of the skirt. Kneeling between your spread legs, he reached under the skirt and pulled down the lacy boyshorts, pulling them down your thighs, over your knees, and off. Sliding off the bed, he moved to kneel at the foot. He pulled your body down to him, bringing his face even with your soaking core.

“Oh Nick….” You moaned, bringing your hands down to tangle in his short brown hair.

“I got you baby, I got you,” he whispered in response. You could feel his warm breath on the insides of your thighs.

He lowered his head and licked a stripe up your core, causing you to let out a gasp which turned into a moan as he began tracing shapes and patterns along your clit, down to your cunt, back to your clit.

You bucked your hips when he slid a finger into you, causing him to softly bite the inside of your thigh in response. Relaxing back to the bed, you brought one hand up to your breast, softly kneading it over the lace cup of your lingerie. You tightened the fingers of your other hand in Nick’s hair, tugging softly as he ate you out like it was his last meal.

He was teasing you; you knew it. He was giving you just enough to bring you to the edge, but not what you needed to be pushed over. His fingers gently caressing your walls brought you to the edge, but not doing enough to make you come. Bringing you to the edge twice, Nick was building you up for the third time. Lapping up everything you had to offer, he had his face snuggly lodged between your thighs, not missing a drop.

You moaned out in frustration causing him to chuckle against you, the vibrations adding to your already fast-approaching release. Looking down at him, meeting his eyes, you silently begged him to allow you to come this time. He must have understood, because suddenly his fingers began moving in exactly the way you needed them to, and he sucked hard on your clit.

You screamed out as your climax racked your body, pulling hard on Nick’s hair, you barely heard the groan he released as he watched your body shiver as you came down. Still panting hard, you watched through half-lidded eyes as Nick brought his fingers to his mouth and savored your flavor on them. You moaned as your cunt clenched at the sight. 

You sat up and reached out for him, intending to get your mouth on his cock. He stood up and turned, sitting on the edge of the bed. You understood what he wanted. Pulling your knees up, you rolled to the side of the bed and stood up. You walked to the foot of the bed, where Nick was sitting, having shed his boxers at some point, you could see how hard he was, his tip angry and red. Instantly you dropped to your knees a few feet from him.

“What are you doin’ over there angel?” he asked, his voice wrecked with lust.

Putting on your most innocent face, making your eyes wide, you looked up at him from your position on the floor, “May I suck your cock?”

“Shit, sweetheart, yes” he punched out. He nodded and reached a hand to you, gesturing for you to come closer.

You crawled over to him, sitting between his spread knees and looked up at him.

Nick thought he was going to come simply from the sight of you between his knees looking at him with  _ that _ expression wearing  _ that _ lingerie. He took a deep breath and willed himself to maintain some control. He nodded to you.

You placed a kiss to the tip of his cock, earning a soft grunt from the man above you. Deciding that you had probably teased him enough with your crawl over to him and the oh-so-innocent lingerie you had specially picked out for him, you spread your lips around him, taking him into your mouth.

“Ugh…fuck…yes y/n…just like that angel,” he praised as you slid your mouth along his length, swirling your tongue, and sucking him deep.

You brought a hand up to massage his balls as you took him as deep as you could. Nick groaned loudly which dissolved into a moan, as he bumped the back of your throat.

He looked down at you, “shit sweetheart…yes….just like that…oh my god…” You swallowed around his length. “Oh fuck…oh my god.” You moaned, sending a vibration up his length that became too much for him. Nick gently pulled your head back, pulling you off of him. “Oh baby, that was too good. You are too good. I’m not ready to end this yet.”

He pulled you up so that you were standing between his spread knees. “I do think I’m ready to unwrap this beautiful packaging sweetheart,” he said toying with one strap of your gown. “I wanna see the beautiful body of the future Mrs. Stokes.” You let out a soft whimper at his words, as he brought your left hand to his mouth and placed kisses along your knuckles and around your engagement ring. You leaned down and kissed him fiercely before straightening back up and sliding the straps of your white gown down your shoulders, pulling the lacy fabric down your body, and letting it pool at your feet. Nick groaned as he took in your nude form in front of him, gently running his hands along the planes of your stomach, hips, thighs, breasts, arms, anything he could reach.

Suddenly he stood up, picking you up and turned towards the bed. Tossing you down, he murmured, “roll over.”

Rolling so that you were on your stomach, you pressed your knees under you, lifting your ass in the air. You knew it was what Nick wanted when you were rewarded with a groan and soft kisses to each of your ass cheeks.

Nick groaned as he saw how wet you were; you always dripped after sucking him. Running his hands along your ass, he gently massaged the ample flesh. He just couldn’t help himself, he leaned down and licked a stripe along your folds, drinking in your flavor. Surprised by his actions, you had bucked into his face which only made him chuckle softly. He heard you softly rasp out an expletive beneath him.

Slowly, Nick notched his cock at your entrance. It didn’t matter how many times the two of you had sex, it was always a tight fit. And Nick knew that he needed to be gentle with you in order to not hurt you. So, when you suddenly pressed your hips back towards him, taking more of him than usual in one thrust, he let out a surprised groan. 

“Baby?” he questioned lowly, running a hand along your spine softly.

“Need you,” he heard you utter with your head pressed into the sheets.

“I need you too baby, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

He heard you mutter “fine” against the sheets. He chuckled.

Slowly he pressed further into you, feeling your walls relax and open to him. He was surprised that he wasn’t meeting the same resistance that he usually experienced, especially taking you in this position. When he was abruptly hit with a thought.

“Sweetheart, y/n?” he softly whispered.

“Yeah,” you breathlessly answered, turning your head to try and face him, completely aware that he was still only part of the way inside of you.

“Does the thought of being my fiancé and eventually my wife turn you on?” Nick asked, a hint of a smirk on his face.

You could feel your face heat up and you tried to bury yourself back into the sheets, but he stopped you with a gentle hand on your shoulder. “No, please, baby don’t hide,” he coaxed softly, “because that is the hottest fuckin’ thing ever. Please don’t hide.”

Pressing back suddenly, you moaned his name. You both gasped as he bottomed out, filling you completely.

Uncurling himself from your back, Nick straightened up to glance down at where the two of you were connected. Not only had you taken him completely, he could see your arousal continuing to drip around his length and slide down your lips. “Oh fuck,” he groaned, “baby you are the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Shit, you’re takin’ all of me.”

You let out a moan which turned into a soft shriek as Nick pulled out slowly and thrust back in harshly.

“Oh, yes…Nick,” you moaned, reaching up to rub your clit.

He grabbed your hips and began a steady rhythm, swiveling his hips on occasion, making you cry out. He could feel your walls fluttered around him steadily. Angling his hips slightly, he knew he was nailing your g-spot as you clenched impossibly tighter around him.

Without warning, he felt your walls clamp down on him and a shiver rack your body. “Oh fuck, Nick!” You screamed as your orgasm startled you. He felt your body begin to go limp beneath him, as your orgasm flooded your system.

Tensing his own body, he worked to stifle his own reaction to your walls tightening down on him. Once he was able to move, he gently withdrew from you, gently placing you down on the mattress.

You giggled as he moved to sit beside you on the bed, “wow, that came out of nowhere.” He ran his hands along your ribcage as you had rolled to your side, facing him.

“You ready for more?” He asked, obvious lust dripping in his question, but also concern. He knew that you could be sore from taking him so quickly like you had.

“Hell yeah, cowboy,” you replied, moving to straddle him. “I wanna ride you,” you teased.

Nick moved so that his back was against the headboard, pulling you towards him. “Yeah? Oh angel, I want that too. Come ‘ere.”

Straddling him, you slowly lowered yourself on to his cock again. Your cunt stretching around his considerable size. Even though you had just come, you could feel your walls stretch to accommodate him once more. Nick could feel it too, he could feel your muscles, tensing and relaxing as you slowly sank down on to him.

To distract you from the stretch, Nick leaned to capture your lips in a heated kiss. He swirled his tongue around your mouth, licking into you, tasting every bit of you. Eventually, more slowly than before, he bottomed out; his entire length stuffed into your pulsing cunt. You both groaned into the kiss.

You placed your hands on his shoulders, pulling back from the kiss to look Nick in the eyes. “I love you Nick.”

Placing his hands tightly on your hips, he replied, “And I love you too y/n.”

Gently you begin to rock your hips, rising up and dropping back down on to him. His grip on your hips helped to guide you.

“Oh fuck…yes, Nick….right there….yes….yes,” you moaned into his ear, as you continued to roll and rock your hips. You pressed your chest against his, feeling your nipples rub across his chest. The sheen of sweat that covered your bodies aided the delicious friction across your taught nipples. His lower abs pressing perfectly into your clit.

Nick slightly bent his knees behind you to begin thrusting up into you. He groaned as he felt your walls flutter, “oh shit…angel…y/n…yes…oh shit…s’ tight…fuck.”

As both of you neared your release, you quickened the pace of your hips, rolling in time with Nick’s thrusts.

“Look at me baby,” Nick was somehow able to moan, tightening his hold on you, guiding your hips.

You locked eyes with him as you felt your release beginning to erupt. “I love you,” he murmured. That was it, those three words sent you spiraling over the edge into the white-hot abyss.

“I love you,” you whimpered in response.

The combination of your walls tightening down on him and your words, Nick was suddenly thrown into his own release. He thrust up into you, his hands pulling you down hard on to him, coming deep inside of your cunt; feeling your walls frantically fluttering around him.

Still gently rolling your hips, seeking out the last ripples of your orgasm, Nick felt himself shudder at the sensation. Feeling overstimulated, he stilled your hips with his hands. The two of you remained locked together; he knew that you liked to feel him inside of you, even as he grew soft. You had once said that it made you feel more connected to him.

You put your forehead against his, still panting. You uncurled your fingers from his shoulders and brought them to caress the back of his neck. He ran his hands soothingly up and down your back. For a few minutes, the only sound was your combined heartbeats and breathing.

Humming against you, Nick nuzzled your nose with his nose. Giggling, you opened your eyes to look at him. You leaned back slightly.

“That was incredible,” you said breathlessly.

“It really was, you are incredible,” Nick whispered back, “you truly are somethin’ else, and now you are  _ my _ somethin’ else forever and ever.”

“I love you Nick,” you said against his lips.

“I love you too y/n,” he replied.

Ten minutes later, both of you had cleaned up, drank some water, and were sliding back into bed. You curled into Nick’s side, sliding your left arm up to rest on his bare chest. Neither of you had bothered to put clothes back on. You were pleasantly sore and more than satisfied as you gazed at the man you loved. His breathing had begun to deepen as he relaxed. His chest gently rising and falling.

Your ring sparked in the dim lighting, making your heart swell every time you glimpsed it. You were overwhelmed by your emotions suddenly, your eyes beginning to water, as you reflected on the past year. You reflected on the man whose heartbeat you felt beneath your hand. His soulful brown eyes, dangerous smirk, contagious laugh, unwavering integrity, and deep empathy. How soundly he had captivated your soul. You breathed deeply against his chest, breathing in so much love. 

“Hey angel, what are ya thinkin’ ‘bout?” Nick sleepily drawled, catching the lovestruck expression on your face.

Tilting your head up to look at him, you answered, “you.” He hummed in response and pulled you tighter to him, placing a sweet kiss to the top of your head. You continued, “I was thinking about how happy I am that I fell for you.”

**The End**


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